Falling Series Part 1: Falling In More Ways Than One
by FayTheGay
Summary: Every angel has one Soul they are destined to protect. That Soul will change the angel forever and never in a good way. Samuel feared Earth because finding his Soul meant a tragedy. (Angel!Sam, Archangel!Dean, Human!Castiel, Human!Gabriel, Sabriel, Reverse!verse)
1. Preface

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original concepts! If it seems canon it probably is canon and belongs to Kripke and all those amazing beautiful people.**

 **WARNING:**

 **Due to one of the aspects of this story suicide is mentioned many times and from most of our angels' perspectives it is an okay option for their situation or a coward's choice. This does not reflect my views in any way, shape, or form. Please understand this.**

 **This story is Sabriel driven. A few other ships are toyed with but not majorly important. Don't expect sappy romance.**

 **It also takes place in the season 4 timeline with roles reversed.**

 **Be warned, Supernatural, which means, the probability for sappy happy ending is very unlikely. Especially since I don't really write them anyway.**

.-~*~-.

 _"There is no absolute truth. There is only your truth."_

Debasish Mridha

.-~*~-.

Every angel has one Soul they are destined to protect. Every single angel has a single Soul that belongs to them in all the most sacred ways. The problem is there was only one single Soul that belongs to them. Once that Soul has traveled to Heaven -or Hell- the angel is expected to return to work. Do as their told without mourning the loss of what was theirs. For that angel this Soul shines bright in its own way. It fuels the angel. The angel feeds off that, falls in love with it. Every single time.

Heaven always expects them to return to their post without mourning. Without wishing for more. Without wanting to follow the Soul to their heaven. Some make it through the loss. Just barely, but they do it. They become bitter and harsh. Uncaring. They grow to resent humanity, resent the other angels who have never been where they were. A very small few were kinder. They make an effort to protect their brothers and sisters from the fate of being a Guardian.

Some angels Fall from it, in more way than one. Sometimes they cannot protect their Soul. As a consequence their Soul ends up in Hell. When this happens -though not exclusively-, the angel cannot bear it. They end up Falling from Heaven, doing something that warrants it. They lose themselves completely. A Fallen Angel goes to Hell in death, at least that is the rumor. In their eyes, they can at least see their Soul there. Maybe it is true. Maybe it is never worth it. They cannot bear to be without them, knowing the truth, so they do not care.

Other angels, they cannot stand the bar that keeps them from their Soul's heaven. They cannot handle the closeness of the Soul. Having that Soul so close but beyond their reach tortures them.

There is a single place in Heaven, a dark place. In the place of light, of beauty and sun and purity. There is a single dark place. A place drenched in feathers, bodies, silver angel blades, and golden blood. A place where angels go to die. A place where they perform their final act. The most unforgiveable sin in the eyes of humans is the most difficult act in existence for an angel. Breaking off so completely, losing everything, and destroying themselves. Breaking every order, even the one imbedded in all creatures, the need to survive. They pull their blade and run it through their own Grace, the equivalent of a human Soul. They destroy themselves.

This dark place, known as The Graveyard, is a place no one speaks of. They find it easier that way, pretending it doesn't exist.

As time went by more and more angels found their humans, they went through the pattern, each time it happened. They died, Fell, or broke. The younger angels, the ones unburdened, they avoided Earth. They did not want to risk what had happened to their brothers and sisters.

Samuel was one of these angels, he would sit on the edge of the dark spot in Heaven. He would sit and he would stare at the bodies of his brothers and sisters. Allow them to remind him why he could not step onto Earth.

Why he could not feel.

"Samuel."

The Enochian rang through Heaven and the young angel lifted his gaze to meet the face of a newly Vesseled Uriel. One of his many broken brothers. Broken by his Soul. A bitter angel, a hateful angel. Samuel did not like this one of his brothers. It was a deeply hidden secret, possibly to himself even, that he did not like Uriel. Many of the bitter broken angels, the ones who had suffered from the loss of their Souls were unlikable. Uriel was in his garrison though, a fact that made it worse.

"Yes, brother?" Samuel did not look up. Instead he chose to stare into The Graveyard. Perhaps if he ignored his brother he would leave him be.

"Zachariah has given us an order. We are to gather the garrison." The order was clear; he was not supposed to question it. The problem was that it did not make sense.

He asked, "Where are we going, brother?" Where could they possibly be going? Generally, angels avoided Earth, but for them to be gathering a garrison? What could it possibly be for?

His brother's eyes flashed white in his Vessel, angry for a brief moment, then it disappeared. "We are taking to Hell. A man is there. We must raise him before he begins it." The dread in his brother's tone said what his words did not. The Apocalypse. They had been charged with the task of preventing The Apocalypse.

"Who is The Righteous Man?" Samuel was aware he had the right to know the name. This was the man who may begin The Apocalypse if they failed, and a moment to question the name was not a true moment lost.

The way Uriel spoke the name might have sent a chill down Samuel's spine, if he had possessed a spine. "His name is Gabriel Novak. Now go, brother. Collect the garrison, and stop sitting here mourning them. They chose their fates." In a flutter of wings Samuel was gone, the name Gabriel rattling in his skull like a promise.

Uriel was left in the dark spot, staring at the bodies of many of their brothers and sisters, the broken and destroyed ones. "You cowards." The words rang through the air, quiet and lethal. Uriel no longer thought on what may have been with his Soul. It was easier that way. With a flutter of wings Uriel was gone from there and their garrison dove for Hell.


	2. 1: To Hell and Back

Samuel had never thought Hell would be like this. Never in all of his existence had he thought it possible. Until arriving in Hell, he had thought nothing could be worse than The Graveyard in Heaven. The place where so many of his brothers and sisters had taken their own lives.

He was so very wrong.

Hell was cold. Angels could not feel things like that, not in the human world, and not in Heaven. Even when visiting the heavens of different humans in different climates, there was no change for an angel, they did not feel it. So, at first, he had not recognized it.

However, it became abundantly clear what it was. This place was different. For the first time in his existence he felt the ice on his wings, the biting cold on his Grace. It affected him in ways he never thought possible. For the first thirty years they fought through Hell against demons for the human Soul by the name of Gabriel Novak. They fought and tore through countless bodies. They lost so many brothers and sisters Sam lost count. Still they fought, like good soldiers. Through blood and carnage and Souls of the damned, both angels and human alike. They saw it all. Samuel did not know if he would ever leave again. Thirty years in Hell had broken him apart. It had begun to make him question what was real and what was fake. Every motion in the smoke, breath of air, all of it was disorienting. Hell was a place no angel belonged.

Then he had felt the shift, they had all felt it, a shake through the deepest, darkest parts of Hell. It reverberated through Heaven, through Hell, through Purgatory, and through Earth. All of Creation shook and trembled and they _knew_.

The First Seal had broken.

The Righteous Man had been broken.

Many of his brothers and sisters mourned in that moment. Rather than stay, they fled Hell. Hell allowed them leave. Those that left were not stopped. It wasn't hard for an angel to leave Hell, for they didn't belong, but coming to Hell was the true challenge.

Some of the others, they were shocked, the shock was enough to stun them in battle, for them to die at the hands of demons, of the Fallen.

Only a few stayed aware of their surroundings, only a few chose to continue forth. It was their task; it was their responsibility. Here, in the dark confines of Hell, they could not communicate to Heaven. They could not ask for guidance. This was what they knew. _Save The Righteous Man._

Samuel did not want to stay. His wings were frosty and his Grace was chilled, he felt the rumble of his second eldest brother from the deepest pit, the torn and tattered Grace reaching out through its domain for the first time since he had been locked away.

' _My brothers. My sisters. You have failed. Join us and we will stop. Join us and you will be free. No more tragic tales of Souls, no more pain, just freedom. You need not worry, brothers and sisters. I will take your hand. Lay your weapons down, show your loyalty to me. Take the freedom, make the choice. Father was wrong. He should not have done what He did. We are meant to be Guardians to them, and we are not meant to lose them. They break us. Ruin us. Follow me. Should you choose to join me, I will allow you to see them again. I will give them to you.'_ Lucifer's voice rang through them all, The Father of Lies. He spoke to the angels, all of them heard his words, a few of Samuel's brothers and sisters did lay down their weapons.

No one stopped them, because the ones that went to Lucifer had no reason to fight, all they were doing was laying down.

They all knew the tales of those angels. The ones who stopped, the ones who gave in. They had lost their Souls, just as Lucifer had lost his all those years ago. It was none of their faults. They wanted it to be over. They wanted a chance. Lucifer was a chance, and it truly stunned Samuel when Uriel continued on beside him.

Samuel kept on. Some of his brothers and sisters gave up on their task, they returned to Heaven. Others continued to lay their weapons down, just to stop the fighting. They joined Lucifer.

Only two of his brothers remained by the time they found the Soul they had quested forty years for. Uriel and Balthazar.

The Soul was broken and torn and tattered from thirty years of torture.

Samuel had never seen something so bright.

He knew what it meant.

The way the Soul pulled at him, tugged him towards it, screamed at him to protect it without saying a word. The way it repaired him and reminded him to _move on_. _Keep going._

Without a thought Samuel launched himself forward, glowing brighter than he had in years, feeling more alive than he ever had.

This was what it meant to be a Guardian.

His Grace sang with power he had never felt before; the demons dove out of the way as Samuel landed before the Soul, fear clouding their corrupted form because they knew just as well as the others what his reaction meant.

This was his Soul.

"Gabriel Novak."

The Enochian rang through the air and the Soul turned from where he was in the midst of ripping apart a Soul, scalpel covered in what the human mind could only comprehend as blood.

Samuel was unsure what the Soul saw when he saw the angel before him but the broken and tattered Soul managed a lopsided smile, "Another incubus so soon." His voice was that of a broken and shattered man, Samuel wanted to smite every demon in a hundred-mile radius for destroying what was his to protect.

"I am Samuel. I have come to here to free you, Gabriel Novak."

"And I'm Queen of Hell. Leave me alone. I have work to return to." As the human Soul turned, it flickered briefly, a darkness covering the white. Without a thought Samuel stepped up behind the Soul, wrapping what could only be described as his arms around the human Soul who began shouting. "Let me go!" He tightened his hold around the Soul. _His_ Soul. Gabriel had to agree to leave. Angels could do little without consent. Especially when it came to resurrecting Souls. Rightfully, Sam should not have been there.

"I will not, Gabriel. Stop being a child and allow me this." _Before you destroy me._ Words that were not fair to speak. If Samuel could not save this Soul, if it stayed here, it would destroy him. Forty years had been spent on rescuing him. There was no reason for him to give up. Unless the Soul said no.

"Don't. I'm not worth saving. Don't save me. Save her or him. Not me." The Soul fought in his hold, not as hard as it could have. It was lying to him, lying to itself.

"Let me save you, Gabriel. Tell me 'yes'." _I am begging you._

"I can't."

"Tell me yes." Samuel's voice was firm yet pleading. Samuel could not afford a no. Everything he was would be lost in that word. He would never leave Hell.

"You can't make me." Gabriel's tone was defiant, there was no sincerity. His Soul sang without noise, drawing the Grace of the angel in. Feeding him light in the darkness of Hell. It wanted him to free him. He needed a ' _yes_ '.

"Say 'yes', Gabriel. Let me save you." _Save me, before you destroy me._

The Righteous Man crumbled in his arms and whispered one word, a word that, at the time, Samuel did not realize would end his world. "Yes." Gabriel choked out, broken and destroyed.

With little thought, Samuel tightened his hold on the Soul, gripping him and launching himself from Hell. Somewhere in the back of his mind he still heard Lucifer's whispers. He heard Balthazar and Uriel calling after him. It did not matter. Only one thing did.

' _Gabriel Novak has been saved!'_ He announced joyously as he escaped the iciness of Hell with his Soul, his human.

Piece by piece he rebuilt Gabriel Novak's body, letting his Grace flow through the corners of every inch of the beautiful Soul's human body. It was buried in a wooden crate in a small clearing in the midst of a forest. Samuel took care when rebuilding the body, healing scars from years previous. Too many scars. What would a man have done that would give him this many scars? The Soul of Gabriel Novak sang bright with power meant for him, buried in Samuel's Grace for protection from the one place Samuel had never planned to visit. Of course, there was only so much he could do here. Despite everything his Soul was corrupted and destroyed by Hell. The only reward in this was that there was hope, no matter how miniscule. There was still a chance.

' _Samuel. Repair your human then return. We have orders.'_ Uriel's voice rang through Samuel's Grace and he felt what the other angels rarely spoke of. The desire to defy. It went against everything they were meant for. At that moment Samuel was unsure whether what he was meant for was his Soul or if it was Heaven. That moment of doubt scared the angel, it sent Gabriel's Soul from his body into the cold Earth and in a second Samuel had retaken the Soul into him, it was shaking slightly but otherwise unharmed. The only damage was the scars from Hell.

"I am sorry, Gabriel. Truly sorry. I wish I could be here upon your waking. I must find myself a Vessel. I have orders. Do not hurt yourself. I am begging you, please be careful." Taking the Soul of Gabriel into the angelic equivalent of his hand, Samuel pressed said hand to the center of the human's chest before spreading his wings, watching for only a moment as golden eyes snapped open and Gabriel gasped the first breath of his rebirth.

Samuel launched himself upwards, through Earth and leaves, leveling the forest around them as he flew.

.-~*~-.

After a briefing from the Seraph Zachariah, Samuel was sent to formally meet Gabriel Novak and explain what had happened to him. Zachariah was not a kind angel. He was one of many who had lost their Souls. The order that gave Samuel freedom to his Soul had not come from Zachariah. It had come from Hannah. A kind Seraph. One who had lost their Soul but coped.

' _Thank you, Hannah.'_ He spoke softly to her through one of the many private waves of communication.

' _You will not thank me when it is over, Samuel. Do not let yourself Fall. He will die. They all do.'_ Her words fell on him and the broken lost sadness in them shook him to the core of his very being. That could be him one of these days. If not her, then perhaps Zachariah, or… No, best not to think on that.

It was too late for him. Every angel knew it. They whispered among each other and he pretended he could not hear it as he took flight for Earth.

It took a week for him to find a suitable Vessel for the bloodline he was meant to follow. There were six billion people on the planet and he had never taken a Vessel in his long existence. It took a lot of searching before, at last, he found it. His Vessel was a man by the name of Jared. A poor man sitting at the side of a road in Colorado. Samuel only saw the glowing white light of the mostly pure Soul of his Vessel, felt the prayers to their Father as he sat alone and waited for the day the cold would finally take him. It was tragic, but there was little that could be done for him. Not to mention that, at the moment, Samuel needed him. This was the eldest in his bloodline.

Samuel pitied the man. If he poked into the mind of the man he saw what had happened. The man had been handed trial after trial in his life. His wife had left him and taken everything, his children, his money, his home, all of it. Still this man was faithful, loyal to the end.

" _Jared Winchester."_ He spoke in his True Voice to his Vessel who jumped at the sound, his gaze moving around the dark alley in panic.

"Who are you? Where are you?"

" _I am Samuel. I am an Angel of The Lord."_

The man stood on shaky, boney legs, looking around and attempting to spot the angel. Samuel carefully allowed his Vessel to see him, in his purist form, the form only an angel's own Vessel can see.

"Are you here to take me?"

" _No, Jared. I am here to ask you a question. One you must choose the answer to on your own."_ Angels could only possess Vessels when consent was given, it was a fact. If Jared denied him Samuel would be forced to seek out one of his children for a Vessel. Angels rarely took child Vessels, less so when they had a Soul they were seeking. It did happen. Not commonly but it did happen.

"What's the question?" Jared asked cautiously, a wise human, still careful. When this ended he would do anything the man asked.

" _I need to possess your body. Control you for a time. After I am done I will return you to your life and give you anything you ask, within my power."_

Jared seemed to consider this, clearly unsure, of course it was a sane thing to be wary of. Jared was a smart man.

"Protect my family. My ex-wife and children. Promise me my family will be safe."

An easy promise for Samuel. Protecting the family of his Vessel was something he would have done either way. It was such a selfless thing to ask, Samuel respected this man more for it. Rather than trying to get something from him, he chose the selfless route, asking for the protection of his family

 _"I will protect them. I swear on my Father I will keep them safe."_ The sky thundered around them and for the first time in his creation, Samuel almost would have sworn he felt Him. Their Father.

"Then Yes. I consent to you possessing me." Just like that Samuel felt the shift in the world as the Vessel drew him in, all of his power and all of who he was in to the single human body.

Samuel would never admit that it scared him for a moment. He would never admit to the freedom he felt in the body of a human. If he had, it might have sent him Falling. He would not Fall until after he lost his Soul. He could not.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer was still whispering to them. Samuel was unsure but it seemed that in the power his Soul had given him the voice had been buried in the back of his Grace. Or maybe it was the Vessel he now possessed, condensing his Grace into a single human body. Possibly, it simply was his presence on Earth, a layer too close to Hell that allowed the whispers to infiltrate him.

It was not easy to drown the Fallen Archangel out, he spoke such alluring words. Promises that Gabriel Novak would be protected. The other angels were drawn into his cause purely by the promises of being reunited with their own Souls. Heaven was forced to call angels with Souls, both present and past, home until a later date. Samuel was not called back. He had to protect The Righteous Man.

The summoning spell took Samuel by surprise. It happened not long after he had taken his Vessel. Jared slumbered deeply in his subconscious, safe and buried from the world. For the first time in a long time, Jared Winchester was content. The summoning spell was another matter. It caused Samuel to panic briefly as he was yanked away from the alley he had been standing in, the place he had picked up his Vessel, communicating with his brothers and sisters about Lucifer.

At first, he was terrified it had been a demon or one of his newly Fallen brothers or sisters, forcing him to them to make him join their cause.

That was not what had happened. When he had arrived outside the barn he felt the power radiating from the inside.

Not just the power from his Soul.

The power from sigils and warding covering the walls, ancient sigils that would have warded these humans inside from most anything, anything at all, except angels.

Using a flick of the power given to him by his Soul he flung the doors of the barn open, stepping through them and looking between the two humans. One was a simple human, insignificant compared the beautiful, bright, glow of his Soul. Even under closer inspection the Soul residing next to Gabriel Novak was dimmed, burnt away with years of age. It was likely he did not have long.

He looked back at Gabriel, his Soul. For the sake of himself he allowed himself to turn his vision to the more mundane vision his Vessel possessed. He could then see the shorter man with golden eyes this way, he did not really acknowledge the gruff older man standing next to his Soul.

A sharp sound rang through the air and Samuel faintly felt something, when he looked down he saw a bullet falling from the tattered clothing of his Vessel. Blinking, he returned his focus to Gabriel. Gabriel's Soul who was singing to his Grace again, calling to him. With little thought Samuel stepped forward until he was a few feet in front of the two men in the room.

This time he was prepared.

The older man with the dimmed Soul attempted to stab him and he caught the arm mid swing, twisting it and speaking softly, "You will not kill me." The words were spoken generally though they were targeted at his Soul. He reached over and pressed a finger to the older man's temple, sending him into a deep slumber.

It finally registered with him.

Hunters.

His Soul was a Hunter.

He heard an apology whispered to him from Balthazar at the revelation. A Hunter lived a short life. This one had already died. Samuel would be destroyed sooner rather than later. Of course, should their brother be freed, his Soul would die either way. Unless he joined Lucifer.

It made everything make even more sense. The reason he had been sent to his Soul to ask for assistance in averting The Apocalypse. It was strange that they would ask a human for help but the reason had hardly mattered. It gave him time with his Soul.

"I'll be damned if I don't try." A knife that Samuel recognized from an ancient time was in his hand and Samuel instantly feared the knife. Not because it would harm him. It could not. However, it could harm his Soul. A knife that destroyed Souls. A Hunter no doubt used it on demons. A Human would not realize the dangers of the knife. Without a thought the knife appeared in his own hand and he sent it away to the deepest ocean.

Gabriel stared at him slightly dumbfounded and a bit awestruck. "What are you?" The question was choked, stunned, scared. Samuel would never harm his Soul.

"My name is Samuel. I am an Angel of The Lord. I held your Soul and pulled you from the darkest depths of Hell." It was obvious he did not remember being saved, it bit at his Grace, a taunt. His human mind could not have truly comprehended the angel that had saved him so it had chosen to remove the memories completely.

Gabriel blinked, once, twice. "An angel? An angel pulled me from Hell?"

Without thinking he allowed the bare minimum of his Grace bleed through his Vessel for the sight of the human, his wings spreading high and mighty behind him despite the confines of the Vessel. The Soul in front of him called to him, sang for him. Destined to destroy him. As all Souls did to their Guardian.

"Bullshit." Gabriel's voice broke, just a bit.

"Heaven needs you."

"Angels aren't real." Gabriel looked fearful, only for a moment. Then it was buried under a mask of confidence.

"The Apocalypse is coming and Heaven needs your assistance." The message had been burnt into him, his reason for finding the older Novak brother. At least Heaven's reason for sending him.

"Even if you're really an angel. An angel wouldn't save me."

Samuel frowned, looking at and through to the Soul of the man he had saved. It was still singing to him in that silent way. If he looked deeper into the man, he saw what he wished he did not have to see. The broken and tattered Soul of Hell. He should have been there. He should have protected him.

"I saved you, Gabriel Novak. I am an Angel of The Lord. I saved you from Damnation and I would do it again. Believe me or not, Heaven has work for you."

Gabriel gritted his teeth, staring with defiance at the angel. "Why?"

"You are The Righteous Man. You will help us stop The Apocalypse."

"If I refuse?"

He knew what he was supposed to answer that question, it went against everything he believed and it was the one thing he would never do. "You cannot refuse. It is God's will." He tried to avoid the answer he was meant to give and Gabriel scoffed.

"Look, Sambo. God didn't save my brother when he was dying in that hospital bed. I don't owe him any fucking favors. So, try again." _Sambo?_ It took him a moment to catch up and realize that it was a nickname. _Strange._

"If you do not comply I will be forced to shove you back in Hell." _Please do not make me do that. I cannot bear to do that to you. It will destroy me._

This time the fear was not concealed, Gabriel stepped back, staring at him and his Soul recoiled at the threat. Samuel wanted nothing more than to comfort his Soul. The man attached to it. He was not allowed to defy Heaven's orders. Not even for his Soul. Not unless he was to Fall.

' _Samuel. We need you to return now. Handle the mudmonkey and return.'_

Samuel bit back an angry remark. This was his Soul. He would remind Uriel calmly. ' _I will return shortly, Uriel. Do not speak ill of my Soul.'_

"What do you need from me?" The Righteous Man asked, that was all it had taken, the single threat of the one thing he would never do. Other angels would do it. The threat was a genuine threat; one Samuel would fight them on should it become a problem.

"We will be in touch, Gabriel." _I will return to you._ In a flutter of feathers, Samuel fled that place, returning to Heaven and leaving the sleeping Bobby Singer and his Soul to deal with the new information.

.-~*~-.

"Samuel." The angel did not look away from the dark spot in Heaven when Uriel spoke to him. Seeing the bodies of the angels who had been unable to cope was a reminder before. A reminder why he would never touch Earth. He did not want to be one of them.

Now, he had his Soul. Gabriel Novak was his Soul. It was going to destroy him. Would he become one of these bodies? Another corpse in the unspoken place of darkness in Heaven? Would he fall to Earth to follow his Soul into Hell? Would he become like Uriel? Cruel and bitter. Would he be like Hannah? Kind and pitying yet broken.

"Are you listening to him?" A hand rested on his shoulder and finally Samuel flicked his gaze up to meet the eyes of his brother's new Vessel. The one he had worn in Hell had been killed and Uriel had shed it without a thought.

"I would never follow Lucifer, Uriel. Do not think I would. Are you?" The truth was Samuel _had_ been listening to the promises from Lucifer. In Heaven they were faint whispers, barely audible, but there. They sang through his Grace like a promise. Promises from The Father of Lies. Promises Samuel might accept should they be unable to stop The Cage from opening. Even when he was not actively seeking his brother's voice out, it was there, making itself known. Tempting him.

"The Father of Lies, Samuel. Even when Father cast him from Heaven. It was for more than loving his Soul. Remember that, Samuel. He defied Father's Will. The loss of his Soul did not do this to him. Archangels are capable of moving past them. Raphael did not break apart when he lost his." No, he just became uncaring.

"Losing his did kill Debriel." Samuel stated plainly. It had been years now since the youngest Archangel, Debriel, had disappeared from Heaven after losing his Soul. Everyone presumed him dead. It was the kind theory. No one wanted to discuss what may have happened to the Archangel if he had not died.

"Samuel, do not let this Soul consume you. Remember that it does not last. Especially when your Soul is a Hunter. Do not join these cow-"

"Do not call them that." Samuel stood before he realized he was doing it, "Not here, Uriel. Do not call them that. They were grieving and desperate. Of the two of us you should understand that."

Uriel held his gaze, his Grace flickered along the shell of his Vessel in his anger. "The Souls consume us, Samuel. It does not mean the end. Not now, not ever. They _are_ cowards for destroying themselves. For choosing not to live with it."

"Leave this place." Samuel bit out angrily, holding his brother's gaze.

Uriel bared his teeth, "We are to go assist in protection of the Seals. Find Balthazar and take him with you to Allan, Kansas." The other angel disappeared in a flurry of feathers.

Just before Samuel could take off in his own flight he spotted something resting on the ground next to the beginning of pools of golden blood that never dried. At the edge of the dark spot.

There was something new.

Samuel had been here thousands of times, yet this was new. No angel had taken their lives recently. Not in twenty seven Earth years. There was no explanation as to why something new would be here, unless someone else had come by choice. Which never happened. As far as he was concerned, he was the only angel that came here willingly.

The object was small, about the size of a seashell, and a forest green shade that Samuel could not place though it was very familiar. When he knelt to the ground and looked closer at the item he found it was a feather, too large to belong to any angel below a Seraph. The color was familiar as well, but only just. Try as he did he could not place where he had seen the color. Carefully he pocketed the feather in the shredded clothing of his Vessel before he took flight and searched for Balthazar.


	3. 2: The Temptation of The Snake

**I had completely forgotten Debriel was the ship name for Dean and Gabe. Oh well. None of that kind of Debriel here.**

The next time Samuel was able to visit his Soul was a week following their first formal meeting. It was a necessity at that point, he understood the reason why his brothers and sisters were unable to handle the loss of their Soul completely. A week had him feeling tired and drained, he was turning into Uriel he realized. With that thought in mind he went to Hannah.

Seeing as it had been a week since Samuel had seen his Soul. He was becoming ever more restless. Following the disaster in Kansas, what remained of his garrison had been stationed in Jerusalem to protect fifteen of the Seals. It had started out as a simple task, especially simple for him as he still had residual power from his Soul. Things had changed throughout the week however. At the beginning, that power had given him strength to spare, the power to cut through demons with little to no effort, as the week went on Samuel began to understand why his brothers and sisters broke after their Soul died. The power began to drain and fade. It was not only affecting his life, his brothers and sisters' as well. His impaired fighting skills were not the only problem.

The voice of Lucifer was another problem, the promises and temptation, they did not help. They made it all worse. One of Samuel's brothers, Inias, turned on them in the middle of their battle. He ran his blade through Hester before anyone could realize what had happened. After Balthazar had killed him they became aware of a dangerous problem. They would not only have to defend the city from the outside but they would have to watch for their brothers and sisters turning on the inside.

Things continued to get progressively worse, after five days of onslaughts of demon armies Lucifer spoke four words. ' _Join us or die.'_ The most bitter of the words he had spoken. A promise. A dangerous promise from the Fallen Archangel that rang a warning.

That was when the angels arrived. The ones that Lucifer had drawn in since The First Seal broke.

The battles became messier following this, it was no longer a simple task of smiting or running blades through demons. There were angels, their brothers and sisters, many from Samuel's very own garrison. The angels that attacked them were merciless, they slashed and killed, dodged and ducked. They knew how to battle angels. They had trained with them.

Those four words were the only aggressive words Lucifer spoke during that battle. Following the arrival of the angels Lucifer's promises returned. ' _Brothers, sisters, lay down your weapons. Lay them down and join me. Turn around and I will protect them. Your Souls are precious. They belong to you. They will be yours forever if you join me.'_

' _Samuel!'_ Samuel barely ducked as a blade came stabbing for his head, Balthazar's quick warning the only thing that had saved him. Stabbing the demon with the stolen angel blade was a simple task, he caught the corrupt creature in the stomach and ripped up, cutting the Vessel near in half. ' _Brother, you need to_ go. _This battle is no longer yours.'_ Balthazar materialized inches in front of him, giving him a hard look that said there was no arguing this. He was probably right to do so. Lucifer had been drawing him in. Tempting him. "Go to Hannah and tell her you need to return to your Soul. I am sorry, brother but you are doing more harm than good."

In truth, Balthazar was not sorry, he was protecting everyone else. Samuel would either get himself killed in this battle by the distraction caused by Lucifer's words or he would give into the Fallen Archangel and turn on his brothers.

In the same moment Balthazar turned to run a blade through the chest of demon that had appeared behind him, Samuel spread his wings and flew, arriving in Heaven. Heaven was quieter than it had been a week ago. Most all of the angels were on Earth at this point in time, defending Seals. He wandered down the tunnel of Heaven, willing his pathway through several different heavens until he came across the one heaven he knew he would find Hannah in.

The heaven was a simple one, a young girl no older than five with a truly pure Soul. A child that had been killed as the consequence of a demon deal. This child meant more to Hannah than any other angel on the planet. It was not her Soul. No angel was allowed to see their Soul. This was her Soul's daughter. The child had died about a week following her Soul's death. It had been a mess. The husband had sold his daughter's life in exchange for his wife's return. When the demon had attempted to bring the Soul back it had not worked. The barrier in Heaven forbade the resurrection of the known Souls of angels. With or without demon deals. The demon had left the fine print on that one out of the spoken words and the daughter had died. Hannah always blamed her failure as a Guardian on the death of the girl.

"Samuel." Hannah had turned her head slightly so she was facing him from where she was sitting on a park bench with the child leaning into her side asleep. Or as asleep as a Soul could be. Since the last time he had seen her, Hannah had taken a Vessel of a middle-aged woman. It was interesting in a way, seeing so many angels in Vessels. "You are supposed to be in Jerusalem."

"I am aware." He responded, inching closer as the scene around him became clearer. They were at a park and the bench the two girls were settled into was looking out over a pond. It was all illusion but the concept was the same. There was still a light breeze, there was the faint scent of grass and leaves potent in the air. "I cannot… battle. Lucifer is whispering to us, promising so many things. It is very… distracting. I am a danger to the others."

"You are being called upon by temptation, brother. Be wary of this."

"I am aware, sister. It does not make it any easier. Surely you can understand."

A dangerous look crossed his sister's expression at those words, it was no secret that Lucifer's whispers were taking a toll on every angel that had lost a Soul. There were whispers that Raphael was also being affected. Lucifer was making an impact already and all that had happened was the Seals started breaking. If there was success in breaking all sixty-six what would they do? With Lucifer on Earth… They would be unable to prevent the battle between Lucifer and Michael. Their father's greatest creation would be destroyed in the battle. Samuel would blame himself, he should have been on Earth and he should have protected his Soul from the events that had led to his Damnation.

All of this information went through him in a single moment, in the next Hannah was speaking, "Lucifer is speaking to all of us, Samuel. No matter the temptation, you cannot let him take you. He is The Father of Lies. He destroyed Lilith to prove his point and do not think for a moment he would not do the same to Gabriel. Remember this when you are with him, Samuel." Hannah turned her gaze from him and began running her hand through the Soul's equivalent to the once golden hair of her life.

"Thank you, Hannah." The gratitude in his voice ran through every part of his being, a bit unsettling for him. Some emotions were ones he had experienced before but only in passing. Feeling them as he did in his Vessel was a bit overwhelming. Though, it was not in a negative way.

"I am not done. They are Hunters. If you will not be in Jerusalem defending with your brothers, you will have them assist us in protecting Seals. There are two witches who are working towards The Summoning of Samhain. Collins, Kansas. Remember that, should we call to you, Samuel, you are to return to us. I understand what you are going through but you must not let it consume you." With those words in mind Samuel returned to Earth.

.-~*~-.

The angel touched down a few inches in front of his Soul who was sitting at the edge of a bed with a small white stick protruding from between his lips. If he had been paying closer attention he may have seen the flurry of feathers as someone vacated the room, however it escaped his notice courtesy of his focus on how his Soul's power filled him. He felt alive again. For the first time in the past five Earth days he felt truly alive and he was forced to question how Uriel, Raphael, and the others survived without their Souls. He could completely understand why they were so broken. It made him want to mourn them.

"Jesus Christ!" Gabriel scrambled back on the bed, glaring at the angel. On the other bed the younger Novak brother had already drawn his weapon and pulled the trigger.

Samuel blinked and looked over, listening to the sound of the bullet falling to the ground as it hit his body. "Castiel Novak." Samuel greeted the younger brother, looking into the tainted Soul of the brother with curiosity. It was pure white, not as bright as his Soul, but pure white. Except a single splotch of blackness that Samuel had only ever seen in demons.

"What-"

"Cas, this is the _angel,_ " Gabriel said the word with disbelief. Of course, he still doubted him. His show from before would not be enough. Not with Hunters. It would take more effort to convince them of his species, time they did not have. "Samuel. But I like to think of him as a Sam or Sammy, maybe-"

"An angel?" Castiel Novak cut his brother off, frowning at Samuel. "A real angel?" Castiel looked back over at Gabriel, the two of their Souls reached between the space until they were touching as they communicated without speaking.

Samuel was bewildered at the sight. He had seen this before. Once or twice when visiting a few different heavens. He did not know it was possible for Souls to connect at this level until death.

"So, Sammy." The angel blinked, looking at his Soul. "Last time we saw each other you sorta kept the details of what you needed from me vague." He gripped the stick protruding from his lips and pulled the small sugary purple ball from his mouth.

Samuel vaguely recognized this item from the Heavens of children, _"it's a lollipop"_ one young girl had told him. She had offered him the sweet but he had denied her, knowing that anything in the heavens was off-limits to angels. Even when the Soul offered it.

"What is happening out there? Why are you here?" Gabriel's question was straight and to the point as he jabbed the 'lollipop' in the angel's direction.

Samuel was not fully aware of the answer to the question, he knew only the limited information he had been passed by his superiors and Uriel. He would not keep information from his Soul. Not without a direct order stating otherwise.

"The Apoc-"

Gabriel butted in before he could continue that sentence. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Apocalypse is nigh blah blah blah. Get to the details, Sammy. The juicy info."

"Gabe, stop patronizing the angel. Would you like to sit?" Castiel patted the foot of his bed and awkwardly Samuel sat down in the spot, looking between the two brothers with a bit of confusion. He did not see the purpose of sitting. Not at first, then he began to feel some of the tension leave his Vessel's body, something he was never really aware of, and it became a bit clearer as to why they would enjoy it though it did not do anything for him personally.

"Okay, Sammy. Now that baby bro has made you nice and cozy, spill. Before I shoot you again."

"Spill what? And shooting me would do me no harm."

Gabriel sighed in exasperation, "For the love of God. Tell us the details that you skipped past last time."

Samuel spoke carefully, yet again feeling Lucifer's voice spilling through his Grace, loud and insistent. Promising, asking, offering. Protection for his Soul. Protection for Gabriel. All he had to do was join him, lay his weapon down and bow before him. "Four months ago, by your time, Castiel-"

"Call him Cas. Not Castiel."

"Gabe…"

"And stop calling me Gabriel. It sounds too formal, Gabe works for me."

"Let him finish his story." Castiel's, no Cas', voice was a bit exasperated. Samuel allowed the brothers a moment to speak, he had plenty of time, at least for now. Unless orders came for him. Lucifer's whispering was the only consequence to him not speaking. The alluring words became more and more prominent. A promise for safety. A promise for his Soul.

"Okay, go on, Sammy boy." Blinking, he returned his attention to the brothers.

"Four months ago, Earth time, you were taken by hellhounds."

Gabriel returned his lollipop to his mouth before looking away. "I remember."

"Four months ago, my garrison was sent to Hell to retrieve The Righteous Man."

"You've said that before. What does that mean?"

"A pure Soul, a man who did not belong in Hell. A man who only went because of the purest intentions." That was what he had been told as they descended into the depths of Hell. It was not his place to question this. However, something had seemed wrong with that information. There were many mortals who sold their Soul to with pure intentions. Why was it that now the world was ending?

Gabriel snorted. "I'm not a _pure soul_. I lie, cheat, steal, fuck random strangers and so much more. I'm the farthest thing from pure."

"You are pure. Even with everything that happened in Hell. You are the purest Soul I have ever seen." Which was completely accurate. Even though there _was_ a darkness in Gabriel's Soul, it was masked by the pure brightness of what called to Samuel. If he chose to make an effort to look, he could see the darkness as well. It was also far from the typical taint of a Soul. He was pure. Which was a little bit baffling considering what he had seen in Hell. Whether it as Samuel himself or another angel looking at this Soul. They would all see the purity of it. _The Righteous Man._

"If you knew anything about me you wouldn't think that."

Cas frowned, staring at his brother with a sad look, "Gabe-"

"Let's let him finish his story." Gabriel gave the angel a hard to read look when he cut his brother off. The look was paved in a million questions Samuel could answer, would answer, within every extent of his power.

This Soul was going to be the death of him. It was going to destroy him in every way possible.

' _I have been where you are. All of you. I know the pain, the fear, the knowledge. They are ours and Father does not let us keep them. It is unfair to us all. Think of this, brothers and sisters. I will protect your Souls. I will remove the barriers in their heavens. All you need to do is lay down your blade. I will protect them. I will help you. Brothers and sisters, listen to me.'_

"Samuel?" Castiel's tentative question drew him from his elder brother's whispers. The promises. The temptation.

"I apologize. I will continue now." It was far too easy to resume the story for the two brothers as though it had never been cut off. Far simpler than trying to ignore his brother. "We fought through Hell for forty years. The first thirty were simple. The order was 'rescue The Righteous Man before The First Seal breaks.'" Surprisingly neither brother interrupted to ask for information on that, it did not matter as Samuel intended on explaining everything he knew, "It is told to us, 'The First Seal shall be broken when The Righteous Man sheds blood in Hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.'"

"Ten years ago in helltime." Gabriel breathed out.

"I am sorry, Gabriel. When they broke you, it broke The First Seal. There are sixty-six Seals that must be broken. The First Seal is broken by The Righteous Man."

"What about the other sixty-five?"

Samuel considered Castiel's question, there were sixty-five remaining Seals to be broken. As they spoke there were demons and Lucifer's angels alike doing all than could to break those Seals. "There are six-hundred-sixty-six possible Seals. As we speak my brothers and sisters are fighting demons and angels to prevent them from breaking."

"Shouldn't you be with them?" Castiel questioned him, clearly confused.

That was such a difficult question to answer. "I was ordered to come here." He did not wish to explain that he was Gabriel's Guardian. Not when the man was already doubting him. At some point that would be forced into the light but he would not give it up until then.

"Angels are terrible liars." Samuel jerked around when a new being arrived, one that emitted immense amounts of the green energy of a god. The energy rested just above the surface of his Vessel, covering most of it in a light hue, however the piercing green eyes of the Vessel were clear beneath it all. When Samuel drew his blade and jumped into a standing position Castiel's hand came down on his arm.

"Sam, don't." Castiel's tone was pleading. However, Samuel was panicking. The god was staring at him with a knowing gleam in his eyes. This god knew he was lying about his reasons for being there. Or, at the very least that he was not being honest.

Samuel jerked out of the hold of the human with ease and closed in on the god. The god snapped his fingers and reappeared behind him, kicking him in the back of his legs and sending the angel falling to the floor, he had no time to react as a foot came down on the center of his spine and something pressed into the base of his Vessel's skull. He knew what it was without looking, he could feel the silver blade pressing into the skin of the Vessel and touching his Grace.

"Hey, Dean-o." Gabriel's voice was wary. "Let's not kill the angel." Samuel could feel his Soul panicking, reaching out to its Guardian with fear.

Castiel's tentative question followed Gabriel's voice. "It is an angel, right?"

The god snorted. "Of course it's an angel. A young angel but still an angel. Now let's talk like grownups, Sammy." Samuel did not wish to oblige to the god's wishes but the way the two Hunters were interacting with it made him think twice. They were Hunters. If this god was a true threat to their lives, then the Hunters would have killed it. In theory. So, despite his better judgement, Samuel returned his blade to the small pocket of reality that he kept it in. The blade on his neck disappeared along with the foot. The sound of fingers snapping together filled the room as Samuel pushed himself up until he was in a standing position. With unease, he turned so he was facing the god, trying to piece together how a god had managed to best him. Especially when Samuel was still being fed power from his Soul. Through it all, the most important detail was the angel blade. Where had a god gotten its hands on an angel blade?

"Hi, Sammy." The god greeted casually as he sat down on the edge of Castiel's bed. The younger brother was facing the god, a look of pure adoration on his face. Gabriel was on the edge of his own bed, looking between the two beings with curiosity, as though he expected a fight to break out. Which was a fair assumption. Samuel was far too tempted to redraw his blade and launch himself at the god again. He did not. Instead he stuck to glaring at him, all it did was make the god smile smugly back at him.

"How do you know who I am?" He questioned the god with disdain. Neither of the boys had spoken his name. There was no reason the god should know it.

The god merely rolled his eyes in response. "Open line to Cas' brain. 'bout six years ago these two called a favor in. Check this out." The god lifted his hand in front of him and after a moment a green rope with god energy pulsing through it materialized in the air, reaching out across the distance to Castiel's Soul where it was now visibly wrapped around and through the tainted Soul of Castiel. Said Soul jerked away from the lead, fighting against its confinement. Meanwhile Castiel put on a stoic expression, staring blankly.

"You bound him." Samuel stated simply, feeling pity for the younger brother. The brother with the tainted soul. Samuel could not kill the god now. Not while he held Gabriel's brother's Soul. A contract of that degree meant should the god die, so would any living being bound to them.

"I saved him. Look, Sammy. Look at his Soul. You can see that dark taint as well as I can. Eight years ago, there was a mess. A demon needed to die so they called me. They were lucky it was me and not one of the others. To assist them, as the ancient rules demanded of our power, I was forced to bind one of them. Towards the end of things binding took a darker turn. I took the one who caught my eyes. The one I wouldn't mind fucking ten ways to Sunday." Castiel faltered for a second, his face reddening at the bluntness of the god's words. "I chose the one with the tainted Soul. I stopped it from destroying him. It will always be there but it can't grow. Get over it, Sammy. I don't use it to harm him." As if to make a point he let go of the rope and Castiel visibly relaxed, his Soul stopped struggling and the god's power faded from sight. There was a sadness in the way he said it, as though the prospect of harming the human was a terrible one.

"Who are you?" He questioned, still not trusting the god.

"Names have power, Sammy. For that reason, it'll be safer to just call me Dean." The two beings stared between each other, Samuel did not like this. The idea that this god held the fate of his Soul's life in his hands was unsettling. To make matters worse, he had no idea which god he was dealing with. There were many possibilities. Before this was over Samuel would get an answer.

Gratefully, the comment that the god had made regarding his avoidance of the subject of his Soul was forgotten. Or maybe Dean was being merciful to the angel. Either way, it was easier to not acknowledge it.

"So, tell me. What's an Angel of The Lord doing here?" Dean asked with no real interest, as if to keep conversation flowing. Samuel was grateful for that. The idea of being left to listen to the still insistent whispering of Lucifer was unsettling. He was unsure what he would do if his elder brother's words became too tempting.

"I have been sent to watch the brothers." A dark expression covered Dean's expression before it was replaced with a carefree one, Samuel did not ask, he did not wish to risk his true reasons being brought to light. "With The Apocalypse arising we need assistance. The angels are not enough to protect all of The Seals. Heaven has sent me to watch over you and assist you in protecting a Seal."

"Oh yes, two Hunters one Seal. I've seen this one. Lots of be-"

"Dean."

The god shut his mouth when Castiel said his name, a single word had managed to shut him up.

"Heaven wants us to guard a Seal? What does that mean exactly?" Samuel decided it would be easier to talk to Castiel when he spoke. He was straightforward and much easier for Samuel to converse with.

"There are two witches who are working towards The Summoning of Samhain. It is approximately four hours from this location."

"So, you want us to hunt?" Gabriel groaned and lay back on his bed, his Soul appeared to drop slightly in intensity. "Guess we aren't out of the game then."

Castiel frowned, "It won't be that bad, Gabe. Just witches."

Dean shook his head from his spot, laughing lightly, "I fucking hate witches." The room was filled with the sound of fingers snapping and the two Hunters and the god were gone along with all of their belongings. In no time Samuel spread his wings and launched himself into the air, chasing the stream of green energy with ease towards Collins, Kansas. In those brief few moments Lucifer sent out something different. The different ones were the scarier ones. The ones that no one knew what would come from the Grace of their brothers. All he could do was listen.

' _I have heard your words, brothers and sisters. I swear on Lilith's Soul. What remains of who she once was. I would never harm one of your Souls. That is not my place.'_

That promise almost drew Samuel in. An oath on an angel's Soul meant more than anything. Even when Lucifer had twisted and corrupted his Soul it was still an oath. An oath stronger than if they were to swear on their own Father.

Not all of the angels were so fortunate. Many of them surrendered. He heard the cries from several of his brothers and sisters as they were forced to turn on their brothers and sisters and internally he mourned their loss.


	4. 3: Drag Queens

"Dean, take me to the closest bar." Gabriel stated matter-of-factly once they had settled into the nicer hotel room that the god had paid for. The tension in the room was thick, Samuel had taken the seat next to the door. For the most part the angel stayed silent and avoided the conversations between the brothers and the god. Instead he spent almost all of his time staring uncomfortably into Gabriel. It was as though the angel looked past his human body, instead seeing straight into his soul. It wasn't that far off of a possibility either which made it worse.

Meanwhile Cas was sitting on his bed with his back pressed to the headboard, staring longingly at the god. Dean was at the foot of the same bed flipping through the channels on the TV looking for something to watch. Yes, they were technically supposed to be hunting a witch but they had agreed to begin the hunt the next day. The witches still had a week before they could start the ritual so there was plenty of time for them to be irresponsible. Where better to do that than a bar?

"Nope. You can walk." Dean responded with disdain. He wasn't there for Gabriel. He held Cas' soul as a hostage.

Gabriel pouted, sounding petulant in his response. "Are you serious?"

"What can I say? I don't feel like zapping you around just because you're too lazy to walk a block. If you don't like it, make the angel take you." Dean waved him off before returning his full attention to the TV, finally finding Dr. Sexy and snapping the remote away.

Gabriel _really_ did not want to ask the angel, who had lifted his head slightly in Gabriel's peripheral vision.

"Sorry that I don't want to be here when Cas tries to jump you again." That had been a bit out of line and he knew it. It was one of those many things that slipped out before he could stop it and the flinch of his brother was proof enough that he'd screwed up. The comment definitely had an effect on the god who stiffened his back.

Before Gabriel could open his mouth the two of them were gone from the room and Gabriel was standing with his back to a wall, Dean inches in front of him. It was clear he was pissed, just as Gabe opened his mouth to say something he felt his vocal cords blocked.

"That was a shitty thing to say, Gabriel and you fucking know it."

Gabriel did know it. When the entire mess with the god had begun he had made it clear to the brothers that he had no interest in Cas for more than a physical relationship. Even that had been cut off a year before Gabriel had made his trip into the lake of fire. Unfortunately for all of them, Cas had fallen head over heels for him. Any comment revolving around it usually ended with Cas taking off for a few hours or Dean snapping Gabriel away. One time he had been sent clear across the globe and nearly killed in an active warzone.

"You aren't going to talk. You're going to listen. I am bound into this contract with your brother for the rest of his life unless one of us chooses to back out of it or we both agree to it. Technically this contract should be null and void but some dumbass sold his Soul. We both know he's too damned obsessed with me to do back out but if your big mouth gets too damned obnoxious I _will_ back out and leave that taint to destroy his Soul." Dean kept his distance as he lay the threat down, his words holding that godly power that Gabriel rarely heard. It sent ice down running down his spine and reminded him that Dean wasn't their friend. If he wanted to, he would leave. It very well could destroy his brother to lose the god.

With a flick of Dean's wrist Gabriel's voice returned, he chose his comeback carefully, not in the mood to anger the god but also not going to let him be an ass. "Whatever you say Dean-o. What I know, because he told me, is that after I died you held him every night for four months. You didn't have to do that. You could've left him to destroy himself and break out of that contract. You don't have to keep him alive and you know it. Whether you like it or not, you may not love him back but you sure as hell care about him."

Dean glared at him before snapping his fingers and disappearing, leaving Gabriel in an alley alone God knows where. With any luck it was at the very least still the same town.

With a bit of unease, he pushed himself off the wall and headed in the direction of the light that signified the town, shoving his hands in his pockets. The time alone allowed him time to think. Which wasn't always a good thing.

They were helping stop The Apocalypse. The concept was a bit overwhelming to say the least. The brothers _were_ hunters. Even with Dean hanging around with them none of that had changed. They didn't get involved in big picture stuff. In fact, they avoided it at all costs.

It didn't pass their notice. Rumors ran down the wire about the world ending, it had started around three years previous. Some demon had lured several children Cas' age into this battle to the death, the lone survivor had opened a Devil's Gate and the only thing that kept Hell off Earth was a small group of hunters directed by Bobby. The girl who had opened the gate had been referred to as the Antichrist. She had been hunted down and killed.

It obviously hadn't stopped the world from falling apart but at the same time Gabriel and Cas chosen not to care. It wasn't their problem. They'd stuck to the background, doing basic hunts since they were in their early teens. Up until the day Cas had gotten sick. Dean had told him there was nothing he could or would do. Gabriel had called bullshit because the god had let some of his emotion fall through. Since the god refused, Gabriel had done what he had to. The bitch demon he'd dealt with had given him two hours before the hellhounds ripped him apart. However, Cas had lived. It was worth the price. At the time. Then Hell had torn Gabriel apart down to the very core until the day he broke.

 _The day you started The Apocalypse._ Part of his mind reminded him unhelpfully.

"Gabriel." The hunter nearly jumped out of his skin, turning around and grabbing for the knife on his belt until his brain caught up to his instincts and his shoulders slumped as he glared at the angel.

"You gonna steal this knife too or do you only do that to rare ass blades that kill demons?" It was all he could think to say, not the greatest conversation started but maybe if he was rude to the, admittedly handsome, angel it would leave him alone.

The angel blinked, frowning. "What are you-oh."

Gabriel watched as the angel pieced together what he was talking about. It was cute in a way. Like a confused puppy realizing it had just run into glass. Dammit he was supposed to not be enjoying the angel's presence. "The knife that kills demons, Sammity Sam. Nice little piece of metal that you sent off to God knows where."

"It destroys Souls." The angel said as though that explained everything. All it did was confuse Gabriel. Destroys souls? The angel seemed to catch onto his confusion as he continued on in his explanation. "That knife is capable of not just destroying demons and demonic entities but the human Soul. Should a creature you were fighting to obtain the blade from you and stab you with it, it would have killed not only you but destroyed your Soul. A fate worse than death."

Gabriel shook his head, turning away from the angel before he could comment on how not existing sounded a whole hell of a lot better than going back to Hell. Even if the angel was right about his purity. It didn't change the fact that some demon held the contract to his soul, he was still damned to return to Hell when the time came. With The Apocalypse looming overhead that sounded a lot closer than he liked to think about.

"You should stop belittling yourself."

"Are you reading my mind?" The hunter demanded and when he turned the angel flinched, clearly offended by the accusation.

"No. I would never read your mind without permission."

"Then-"

"I am reading your behavior."

"Well stop that." Gabriel muttered as a terrible retaliation. "Since you're stalking me. Where are we?"

"Jenks, Oklahoma." The angel responded without hesitation.

Oklahoma. Gabriel hated the state. Especially this particular town and Dean knew it. It was filled to the brim with dicks that walked with their heads so far up their asses they could smell their own brains. Of course he was still in the states so there was a plus there. He could easily con money off the backs of some yuppie and get himself a plane ticket or steal a car and find his way back.

Well under normal circumstances. Now he had an angel stalking him. Which was a bit unsettling, especially with the angel already being an uncomfortable presence. However, maybe it meant he had his own guaranteed long distance transportation.

"Could you take me to a bar?" He asked the angel, purely wondering if he could. To the hunter's surprise a hand came down on his shoulder and they appeared in the middle of a bar. Immediately Gabe wanted to crack up because he knew this bar a bit more than he'd ever admit. Not because he was ashamed of his sexuality but because he kept it under wraps that he made an active effort of visiting gay bars. It was busy enough that the people didn't really notice their abnormal arrival, which Gabriel would have to explain to the angel at a later point as something he shouldn't do.

Actually, he was wrong. They were drawing attention, well the angel was, and when Gabe looked over at said angel he understood why. It hadn't really crossed his mind when they'd met and again when the angel had shown up randomly at their motel. It was mostly due to the fact that Gabriel didn't notice things like clothing, anytime he had looked at the angel he had seen a mutantly tall man, which was even worse when Gabe himself was a shorter man, with a built body and hair longer than what was average. Now that he made himself notice he understood _why_ people were staring at him. He was wearing torn up sweats that looked like they belonged on a homeless man and a shirt in the same condition.

Without thinking Gabe wrapped his hand around the angel's wrist and dragged him towards a darker area in the bar. He couldn't do much for the angel's appearance but at the very least it would cut down on the people staring. He had to ask.

"What's with the homeless getup?" He questioned the angel as he slipped out of his jacket, the angel blinked and Gabe sighed, rolling his eyes. "Your clothes, Sammy. What's with the clothes."

The angel looked down at himself, scrunching his eyebrows and he'd be damned -again- if it wasn't adorable. And dammit. This was an angel. He had no right to be thinking of how adorable he could be when clearly he was innocent to most of the world. "It's my Vessel's clothing."

Gabriel opened his mouth then shut it again. His vessel? Like a demon? Gabriel stared up at the angel a little dumbfounded and confused. Also a bit uneasy. "You're riding around in somebody's skin? Like a demon?"

Samuel's expression hardened and while he'd seemed offended by the accusation of reading Gabriel's mind the look the angel gave him for this was a hundred times worse. "I am _not_ a demon."

Gabriel cringed at the high pitched noise that hung beneath his words, barely there but potent. An agonizing sound that Gabriel had heard once before, a brief moment before he had opened his eyes in that god forsaken grave his idiot brother had buried him in. Which begged a brief question, was that the angel's real voice? "Okay, sorry. Not a demon." Gabriel held up his hands helplessly and immediately the angel's expression softened. "What makes you different from a demon?" He needed to know. A vessel was a human body. He was well aware of that. Dean had explained it to them years ago.

"Our Vessel must consent to the possession. They must agree to it."

Gabriel wasn't quite done asking questions yet, "So you're riding around in some guy…and what? He's just sitting in the passenger seat?"

"No. Currently he is…" The angel paused, his expression going distant for a moment before he blinked and returned his attention to Gabriel. "In a dream, having dinner with his ex-wife and children. When I came to him he was sitting in an alleyway near a road in Colorado. He was poor and lonely and yet he was praying to our Father. He had lost everything to his ex-wife. The woman he continues to love. When I asked his consent all he asked of me was protection for his family. Jared is a good man, Gabriel. If he were to request so, I would vacate his body. Consent means everything to an angel." The angel smiled sadly at him, as though there was something he was keeping from his story.

While the idea that the angel was possessing a man was slightly unnerving it was what it was. The angel had said he would vacate his vessel if his vessel asked and there was no reason to think he was lying. "Alright. Well put this on. We'll buy you something civilized tomorrow." He held out his briefly forgotten jacket and the angel took it, awkwardly pulling it over his shoulders and struggling to put his arms through the sleeves.

They were at a bar and he'd be damned -again- if he didn't test the angel's alcohol tolerance levels. What was even better about this particular bar had drag shows and he was curious how the angel would act at the sight.

"Alright, Sammy. Let's do this." He wrapped a hand around the angel's wrist and drug him into the main part of the bar.

.-~*~-.

Gabe was a bit disappointed at how the night had gone. Sam had rather bluntly told him he did not see the point of the drag shows, his exact words being, "I do not see the point. It is," Gabriel was surprised by the word that followed, "ridiculous." In fact, he'd been so surprised by the terming he had ended up cracking up and ordering the both of them drinks.

In the end Sam had also decided he didn't particularly like the alcohol but he definitely preferred the taste of the beer over the fruity drinks that Gabriel ordered for himself. What could he do? The angel was older than he cared to think about and if the angel didn't like it then he didn't like it.

The most comical part of the night had led to the end of Gabe's fun when Samuel had pissed off one of the drag queens. A very attractive one had approached Samuel and attempted with all of her might to get the angel to talk to her until at last the angel had, very bluntly, and a bit loudly, told the poor drag queen that he was not interested in spending the night with her. The drag queen had shot Gabriel daggers with her eyes, like it was his fault, and dumped her drink on Sam before taking off. The man that Gabe had nearly convinced to come back to his motel with him changed his mind. In the end Gabriel had been forced to drag Sam out of the bar because of all the stink eye he'd been getting for the angel's behavior. Which was ridiculous. It wasn't like the angel was on his leash. He had no control over him.

"Alright, take me back to the hotel." Gabriel was defeated. The angel didn't do alcohol. Social situations clearly weren't his forte. And apparently the angel didn't find the drag queens as fascinating as he did.

The angel rested a hand on his shoulder and they disappeared from in front of the bar, reappearing in the hotel room that he felt like he had left years ago.

He really wished he'd had the angel transport him outside the room. The things Gabe saw in that moment before Dean had flipped the lights off were something he'd never forget.

.-~*~-.

"So you're fucking him again...or…I guess he's…whatever…" Gabriel shoved that memory away, as he stated it rather than asking. The room was awkwardly quiet, the lights were out and the two beings had left for the time being. Cas was curled up in his bed, where Gabe had seen things he wished he'd never seen, and Gabriel was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"No. I mean…this was different. I know why he did it and…" Gabe listened as his brother choked on the end of his sentence and immediately he regretted bringing it up. While they were close, more dependent than was probably healthy, the emotional roller coaster Dean created in his brother was uncomfortable territory and he tended to avoid it at all costs.

Either way, he pushed himself out of the bed, longing for the mattress and sleep but knowing he needed to comfort his brother. As he'd done for years since their father had died. Sighing softly, he sat down on the edge of his brother's bed. "Talk to me, Cassie."

"We both know you don't care." Castiel muttered as he pulled his pillow over his head, acting like an overgrown child.

Gabriel couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling ashamed because his brother was partially right. He didn't care about the fact that his brother was head over heels for the stupid god. It was a known fact that all the god would do is break his heart and still he continued to follow him around like a lost puppy. "For the love of God. Of course I care. I sold my damned soul for you. If I didn't care, I'd have left you in that hospital bed."

"You don't care about me and him." Cas clarified and Gabriel ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at it slightly and grimacing.

"I care if the asshole is hurting you deliberately." Gabriel was certain that wasn't the case here but it was the truth, which is what Cas was looking for.

"He did it because of you. As an apology for what you said. Because it was fucked up." It was rare that Cas dropped any swear words, he didn't cuss and hearing him drop the f-bomb meant that it really had hit home. From what Cas had said it had been a year and four months since they'd had sex, when Dean had cut him off he'd given no reasons other than he was done. It had actually had a healthier effect on Cas than Gabe would admit. Sure, his brother was more on edge, probably on account of him not getting laid, but he didn't veer towards the god quite as much. Occasionally his brother would even visit strip clubs with him. Up until when he'd gotten sick.

"I'm sorry." It was all Gabriel could think of to say that was true. He was sorry.

"Go to sleep, Gabe."

"I mean it. I _am_ sorry. Cas, I can never say I understand what you see in the god. He's an ass and if it wasn't for your contract with him I'd run a stake through his heart for not just leaving so you can get past this infatuation."

"Infatuation." Cas snorted, Gabriel could hear the smile in his brother's voice and knew he'd chosen the right wording. That had been the intentions. "Great choice of words."

"I'm glad I can amuse you." Gabriel was smiling now as well.

"It's not infatuation." So much for the subject change. Gabe sighed, resting a hand on his brother's arm.

"I know. He's going to destroy you because you love him. Now go to sleep, Cassie." He pushed himself off his brother's bed, returning to his own. If he heard his brother crying after that, well what else could he do? They'd talked. It was uncomfortable territory and Gabriel had no idea how to help.

.-~*~-.

As it turned out Dean wasn't coming back for a while, something Cas hadn't bothered mentioning the previous night. On top of that, Sam was MIA. Gabriel was unsure where either of them went but figured that maybe it was for the best, for the time being. Probably the most interesting fact was the lack of nightmares. Since he'd come back from Hell what he'd done had been haunting his dreams. His nightmares had been focused on both the torture he'd gone through and the torture he'd enacted on the other souls. That night had been peaceful. A solid night of sleep. Gabriel was almost positive the angel had done something, which he'd intended on interrogating him about. Unfortunately, said angel was MIA. This wasn't over. He would find out.

After a silent morning of getting dressed for the day the brothers made their way to the local diner and settled into one of the booths. Cas had this distant look to him that Gabriel hadn't seen in years and he would beat the god's ass for what he'd done the night more. Cas hadn't looked like this in over a year.

"What can I get you boys?" The waitress asked when she came up to the table, her voice was overly cheerful and Gabriel wasn't awake enough for it. At the moment he didn't even have the energy to appreciate her too low cut top.

He glanced over the menu in front of him before speaking up, since it became abundantly clear that Cas had no intentions of speaking up. "Two coffees. Anything with meat for mopey over there and I'll take the chocolate chip pancakes with a bowl of whipped cream on the side." He listed off, managing to give the woman a charming smile.

He was going to kick Dean's ass. Pining Cas was much better than this broken ball of emotion. After the waitress disappeared towards the kitchen Gabriel decided he needed to break his brother's mood. "Alright, Cas. There is a very important question I need to ask you. It may be a life or death scenario." Pause, three, two, Cas lifted his gaze, "Is Dean a good lay?" Try as he might, Gabriel could not keep the straight face he was attempting. While the emotional crap between his brother and the angel was something he avoided touching with a ten-foot pole, he could handle this conversation.

Just like that Cas jerked his head up completely, staring at his brother and opening then closing his mouth, at a loss for words. Which wasn't his intended reaction. After all, he was trying to get his brother to talk.

"Look. You've been sleeping with him for, what? Five? Six years? In all this time I've never gotten the juicy details. Does he let you-"

"Gabriel." Cas' voice was pleading as his face reddened.

"Well stop with this moping crap. Your god will be back at some point, for some stupid reason he can't leave either of us alone."

"I'm sorry." Castiel muttered, staring down at the table.

"No you aren't. Now let's focus on our current task." In honesty, Gabriel would've rather spent another week lounging around and avoiding thinking about anything revolving around a hunt.

"So you aren't going to talk about your night on the town with the angel?" Castiel had a mischievous look in his eyes, there was something he knew and something told Gabriel he wouldn't be happy when he found out what.

"We hung out at a wonderful bar in a town I never want to return to. Not much to talk about"

Castiel wasn't buying the evasiveness. The look in his eyes said it all. "Dean told me that you were trying to get him to enjoy what you like. Are you trying to find common ground with an angel, Gabe?"

"That isn't what it was about!" Gabriel defended immediately, though he wasn't sure if it was accurate. If Gabriel could get past the whole vessel thing it didn't change the fact that the angel was attractive. But he was an angel. Clearly a naïve one at that.

"He's an _angel_ , Gabe."

"And I'm a hunter. And you're a hunter. You're fucking a god and you don't hear me judging you for it."

"You aren't that stupid, Gabriel and you know it. An _angel._ " Castiel's tone said it all.

The attractiveness of the angel's vessel didn't matter. It was an angel. Angel were meant to be symbols of purity or whatever and defiling said angel, even if it was in a human vessel, was a line. Gabriel wouldn't promise his brother that he wouldn't end up trying to screw the angel. He couldn't lie about that. In the past Gabriel didn't tend to let anything, including species, get in the way of what he wanted. That fact alone probably meant something about their visit to the bar since he'd let the angel's social ineptness ruin his chances with the man he'd been talking to.

"I won't deliberately make a promise I can't keep, Cassie. I'd say sorry but I'm not." Gabriel kept his tone light though inside he was unsure if he was being honest. Would he try to pursue the angel?

"Your honesty is not very promising. You're going to destroy that angel." Castiel stated bluntly, a frown appearing on his face.

"But at least he'll enjoy it!" Gabriel waggled his eyebrows and his brother groaned. As if on cue the waitress returned to their table, setting their coffees in front of them and effectively ending their conversation.


	5. 4: Coin of Power

Despite his wishes to remain with the two brothers, almost immediately following their arrival at the hotel Samuel received orders to return to Heaven. Without explanation, he followed the orders. The action in itself was difficult, explaining his reason for leaving would have made it all worse. Especially when he was the one responsible for their current task.

Where Samuel was ordered to travel made everything harder. It was as though Zachariah was tormenting him. Lucifer's voice was torture enough, seeing this location made it almost unbearable.

"Do you know where we are?" Zachariah's tone held no emotion. Samuel had a vague idea as to why they were there. The Heaven they stepped into had once been one of the most beautiful locations in Heaven. By Samuel's views, it was the second most tragic.

Some angels thought differently. They did not see the dark spot as the most tragic. The angels who had destroyed themselves in that location had chosen their deaths. Lilith's Heaven had once been a bright beautiful place. The first heaven. Now it was still beautiful but very empty, lacking the bright Soul that had once inhabited it. Other angels saw it as the most tragic because Lilith had not chosen her fate. Lucifer had made that choice for her. It was a story Samuel did not wish to remember.

 _'Come brothers. Come sisters. Join me. Join us. We are growing in numbers. We will succeed in taking Jerusalem. We will win this battle. Your Souls can be yours. Now and forever. No more barriers, simply you and them. Father was wrong; will always be wrong.'_

"Lilith's Heaven." The statement was hard for him to say without his voice wavering. He had to speak. Drowning out Lucifer's voice was all he could do in this time. Seeing Lilith's Heaven made Lucifer's promises all the more tempting. He did not want to be there; he did not want to think of what their second eldest brother had done. How far he had Fallen for Lilith and how much damage his anger had caused to the world. All of the worlds. It was something all angels were capable of, something that had been tempting him since he had first set sight on his Soul.

"Tell me, Samuel. I know that you visit The Graveyard. Out of all of Heaven you are the only angel that's chosen to visit there more than once. I'll assume you were mourning your brothers and sisters."

Samuel would not lie to the Seraph, it would do no good. Not when Uriel or a hundred other angels would tell the truth of Samuel's visits. "I would go there to remind myself why I did not wish to travel to Earth. I never wished to find my Soul. I mean no offense, brother but I did not wish to become like you or Uriel."

Samuel was unsure of the reaction he expected from Zachariah for the admittance. It could have been anything from anger to understanding to aggression. Zachariah's reaction was far from what he had expected. The Seraph's tone was bitter in his response, something that made Samuel extremely uncomfortable, "Father is cruel like that, Samuel. The orders for your garrison to retrieve Gabriel Novak came from Him. I wouldn't have sent you. Not in a million years. Another garrison would've stopped it from starting. However, Father set the order that it was your garrison to retrieve him. Long before He left it was known that your garrison would be the one to retrieve The Righteous Man."

Samuel looked off into the distance of Lilith's Heaven, staring at the bright light that had been the sun in the earliest days of humanity. The corners of the eyes of his vessel were burning. He did not understand at first. The sensation was peculiar and uncomfortable. He lifted his hand and wiped at the corner of his eye, staring at the wetness that touched his fingers. Crying. He was crying. Why had Zachariah told him these things? Why would his brother tell him this terrible information? Information that would hurt him. Information that made the whispers of Lucifer seem all the more promising.

"Zachariah, please." The words had left his mouth before he realized he was saying them. In his True Form that would never have mattered, he would not have needed to speak them. His brother would know the discomfort the revelations were causing him. Zachariah was also a cruel angel, bitter. It was unlikely that he would care.

"Say that again, Samuel and I'll consider lying to you." Zachariah looked over at him with a smirk that was all too cruel. A look that did not belong on an angel. Even Uriel did not look at other angels in that way.

Samuel gritted the teeth of his Vessel, feeling his wings flex out behind him in a way that was dangerous. Something he should not have done. An action he regretted the action the second it happened purely because Zachariah saw it.

The way his own wings moved to stretch behind him was a challenge the power of the Seraph. It was foolish. Low level angels were not superior to Seraphs. They had no right to attempt an action like that. As if to prove his fears the Seraph unleashed his three wing sets, six total wings, from his balding Vessel. The sight would have been something for the lower level angel to marvel at, the greys and blues of a hundred thousand different spectrums, if it had not been for _why_ he was seeing them. The Seraph stretched them behind him, flapping them once. Even without the power of his own Soul the Seraph possessed much more power than Samuel _with_ his Soul. Despite his best efforts, there was nothing that could stop Samuel from falling flat on his back to the ground of Lilith's Heaven. His two wings flailed behind him helplessly as they attempted to catch him. It was useless. The ground was mostly soft but that was not at the focus of Samuel's attention. What was taking his focus was the Seraph who stood inches from him, a hostile look covering his expression as Samuel did all he could to tuck his wings back against his back.

"Remember to _never_ do that again, Samuel. I _won't_ be merciful again. You're going to return to Jerusalem and you will _not_ go to Hannah to be freed from that order." Samuel made a choked sound in the back of his throat that was somewhere between a protest and a cry of fear. He could not do that again. There was very little likelihood that he was capable of being without his Soul again for that span of time. He would turn. He would fall, or worse, _Fall_. Either in battle or for Lucifer's promises. He could not do what Zachariah was telling him.

Except he had to. Heaven came first. That was the oldest rule. Heaven was priority. No matter what an angel felt for their Soul. No matter what an angel wished for their Soul. Heaven came first. It always would. Unless he fell.

" _Go, Samuel._ " Without a thought his wings fluttered behind him and launched him away from the Seraph through one of the gateways leading to Earth, panic flaring through him to his very core. He had no choice, he flew himself to Jerusalem, landing in the battlefield a bit disoriented.

In his brief disorientation he barely had time to summon his blade and turn to stab one of his sisters through the chest, everything in him protesting at the murder of his family. No matter the side he chose he would be forced to fight his family. Neither option was promising. With Zachariah's words, it was tempting to surrender to Lucifer. Those promises of being able to stay with his Soul, the alluring words, they all made it so much more difficult.

He looked at his blood covered angel blade, staring at it as he allowed Lucifer's promises to infiltrate the front of his thoughts. ' _Join us. Heaven is wrong. They have no right to stop us from being with our Souls. They belong to us. They are created for us. Join me. Please, brothers and sisters. I do not wish to have you killed. Lay down your blade. Once you help us infiltrate Jerusalem it will be simple. Freeing me will be so very simple.'_

As Samuel knelt to the ground to lay his blade down a hand came down on his shoulder and his setting changed, then they were in a rundown wooden shack. The angel's first instinct was to attack the angel that had pulled him from battle but when he recognized the Grace he relaxed, pushing himself to his feet and eying Balthazar with unease.

The other angel was angry. Very angry. Before Samuel had time to realize what was happening his brother punched him.

It did not hurt. Not really. It was more the shock and his brother's angelic strength that sent him falling back into the ground. Before Samuel could move Balthazar had a foot on his chest and his blade in hand.

"Samuel, you aren't going to lay that blade down. Not for him. Get up and go fight with us or I'm going to run my blade through your chest." Samuel considered his options, well aware he would not get out of the current situation alive. He could not die here, he had a Soul to protect. Swallowing unconsciously, he returned his blade to where he kept it and Balthazar stepped off of him. "You look completely and utterly pathetic right now. Which is saying a lot considering you're constantly moping around The Graveyard. Which one was it that talked you onto the ledge?"

Samuel did not answer his brother at first, pushing himself back to his feet and stretching his wings briefly before tucking them away completely.

"Zachariah." Samuel glanced at his brother without saying anything. "Ignore him and remember what Lucifer did to Lilith. It wasn't him loving her that made him Fall. It was what he _did_ to her that led him to his Fall."

Samuel averted his gaze and remembered everything, remembered the true story of Lucifer.

 _'Samuel, Balthazar, wherever you have gone off to. We need help. Now!'_ Exchanging a worried look with his brother they followed the warning cry of Alriel into one of the bloodier battles taking place.

.-~*~-.

Gabriel wants to clarify that this was not his idea. Not in the slightest. What he _wanted_ to do was sit back and wait for the witches to start making their mess. Hunts were easier when the mess was already being made. With the angel MIA and Dean still gone there was nothing to work off of other than the fact that they were hunting witches.

That was hardly any information to work with. Cas, being the good Samaritan that he was, had another plan. A plan that involved a lot of work. Work that Gabriel wasn't particularly happy to be putting forth. Don't get it wrong, he didn't mind hunting. That point needed to be reiterated. It's just the fact that _there was no information._ It was like going into comic con and someone telling you to meet them there but giving no information other than they were going to be there. That's it. No location, no vague ideas of _where_ they might be, what they might be doing. Hell, it was worse. It was like going on a blind date to said convention and being given no information on what your date looked like.

It was bullshit. Gabriel almost told his brother to screw off, that if he wanted to hunt the witches he could do it on his own.

Almost. Despite everything, he _had_ gone to Hell for his younger brother. The least he could do was make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain. At least that was the reason he gave. Did it for his brother. That was it.

Gabriel had been at the library, barely keeping his sanity at the insistent tapping of a girl on her phone next to him as he stared at the library computer screen, trying to make sense of the text in front of him. There was nothing of specifics on the summoning of the damned demon. How could he possibly be expected to hunt a witch before it summoned this thing without knowing the specifics of _what_ had to be done?

"Samhain?" Gabriel nearly jumped out of his skin, because honestly, he hadn't noticed the girl next to him had finished texting and taken an interest in what he was reading.

There was the bitter temptation to tell her to mind her own business because he was in a bit of a sour mood however he stopped dead at the sight of the fiery red head, _there is no way that is natural_ , with pale blue eyes. _Absolutely no way._

"Sorry. Couldn' help noticin'. I kinda got a thing for legends and all that stuff. Noticed it outta the corner o' my eye. Had t' say somethin'." She offered him this charming smile that might've sent anyone else falling flat on their ass. Not him. There was something about her that threw him off a bit, deterred him.

Gabriel regained his bearings pretty easily. There was no way this girl would leave him speechless. Not now and not ever. Besides, she seemed interested. Maybe she could help him make sense of this crap. It was pretty easy to lay the groundwork. After all, he _was_ a professional liar.

"No, it's fine. I'm doing some research for my brother. Some college essay or some crap."

"How'd he con ya into it?"

"I'm sorry?" He played dumb, she set her cellphone on the table in front of her and turned slightly in her seat.

"I've got myself a little sister. Well had one. 'fore I ran off. Little snake use' t' con me in all sorts o' crap. Doin' 'er homework, makin' dinner, 'ell she even managed to get me t' take the blame when she busted up the TV."

He nodded as though he was just now getting it, which was crap, "I'm just being a good older brother." He shrugged and returned his attention to the screen, as though he was cutting the conversation short. Out of corner of his eye he caught her pout.

"Fine. Be that way. I was gonna offer helpin' ya out but now…"

He looked over, plastering the most hopeful look he could muster. "Would you? I mean, I hate to be a burden but…"

She smirked, "Of course. I'm the queen of gettin' information. Plus, I've been researchin' this crap since I was li'e ten. What exactly are ya after?"

Just like that they worked together on the research, he learned her name was Dalara. She was twenty-four and picked up that she was very much a lesbian by her overly uninterested play flirting. When she got up to leave for a brief moment he noticed she was _short_. As in, there was no way she was over 5'2. She also had a nervous habit of gripping the strap of her backpack which she made no effort of removing despite the fact that it was pressing against her chair in a way that couldn't at all be comfortable.

He also got work done. Three sacrifices on the three days leading up to Halloween. It had been in a website housing some old Latin documents where they'd found that piece of information. Of course, about five minutes later he'd received a phone call from Bobby who had happily relayed the same information that he'd just spent what felt like years looking for.

Oh, he was so going to kick Cas' ass.

When Gabriel returned to the computer to toss a farewell to Dalara he was a little more than surprised to find she was gone. He scanned the library to see if she had gotten up to look at books but she was completely gone. Unease settled in him as he left, trying to file away the incident as just her having to leave suddenly. While walking down the street he caught sight of that all too familiar head of what had to be fake red hair dipping into an alleyway while on her phone.

That wasn't strange at all.

Pressing his lips together in consideration he stopped next to the entrance, pressing his back against the wall casually and listening.

"-Hunters, Nex. Ya told me I was goin' to be fine." The distinctive sound of her kicking a can filled the air and she sighed exasperatedly as she listened to the other line on her phone. "I get it. I do. I just can't stay. Let 'em deal with it." Silence for one, two, three, four, "I know, Nex. I just…no' again. E'ry time. I'm sick o' bein' a target." A target for hunters. The rational thing to do would be figure out _what_ she was then kill her. It was what normal hunters would do. But he wasn't a normal hunter. His brother was bound to a god and he was fresh out of Hell. Which hadn't been fun. "Don' come here! Witches catch wind an' they'll be out like a bat outta hell. I'll deal wi' it. You owe me though. Two grand an' a anti-angel charm." After a moment of silence, she spoke, "Talk later. I'm bein' spied on."

 _Damnit._

"Come on out, Gabe. I'm assumin' it's you. Too short to be most others." He blinked in confusion until he looked down at the ground and understood, his shadow had given him away. With a bit of reluctance, he sighed and pushed off the wall, stepping into the opening for the alleyway. "How much did ya hear?"

"What are you, Dalara?" He asked with unease, again, he wouldn't jump to conclusions. Despite the fact that he was considering the best option. Samuel had taken the demon killing knife and sent it off to God knows where. He had his gun tucked into the waistband of his pants.

"Notta threat, Pretty. Cross m' heart an' hope t' die. Again." She made a show of crossing her heart, which Gabriel might've appreciated if it wasn't for the unease he was still feeling. When he made a point of moving towards his weapon she stiffened and gripped the strap of her backpack, clenching her fist around it and watching him carefully. "I'm human. A Hunter. No' conventional. I ain't gonna tell you the dir'y details. You an' tha' brother o' yours. I suggest you shag ass outta town. Samhain ain't gonna be an easy hunt and neither o' ya are equipped t' take care o' it."

Gabriel opened his mouth, saying the first thing that came to mind. "And you are?" Because that was a clever answer, _open mouth, insert foot._

The red-haired hunter smirked, "More ready than you'll ever be in your life, pretty. Witches're messy. 'specially when you ain't got the first clue where t' look."

"How'd you even know about this hunt?"

"Ol' friend o' mine tipped me off 'bout the end o' the world. Samhain is just the tip o' the iceberg on what's goin' down. I recommen' you an' that brother o' yours take some time off. You ain't got a clue what's comin' out to play."

Gabriel would admit that she had him interested. Not because of the end of the world crap that he already knew about, no, it was the fact that she seemed to know a lot about the situation.

"How do you know all this?"

She smiled knowingly and pulled her backpack from her back, rotating it so that it was strapped to her chest, while she answered she made a point of digging through it, try as he might Gabriel couldn't adjust his view enough to see what was in it.

"If I tell ya, I'll have t' kill you."

"Come on, Dalara. Give me something."

She lifted her gaze to look at him. "Fine. I work for the Hell Queen. Well wi' her. Mutual 'rrangement. I help 'er out. I get paid for it. It's clean work. Nex ain't nearly as name entails." Before Gabriel could draw his weapon or say something the other hunter pulled a small coin from her backpack and flung it forward. Gabriel hadn't fully registered what was happening when the coin hit him in the forehead, then he fell back unconscious.

.-~*~-.

There were three things that Gabriel would deny had ever happened in his life. One involved three other men and two women, one involved a pagan goddess and more blood than he'd planned for, and now there was getting knocked out by a damned coin. No. He would never admit it. As far as everyone would be concerned he had been hit over the back of a head by a large blunt object. That was what had happened. End of story.

When he woke up he was tied to a bed in a very compromising position. He was also alone. Which was a bit of a blessing because he needed time to get things in order. Like, for one, how the hell he was fully conscious. People waking up didn't just wake up. Not like that. Especially after being knocked out. However, when he opened his eyes he was just as awake as he had been before the, nonexistent, coin hit him.

Wait. Where the hell was that girl? And… _oh crap._ Try as he might he couldn't _remember_. He couldn't remember _who_ that girl had been. Hell, he couldn't remember what the hell she'd looked like. Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to concentrate. He remembered everything. Everything except who she was and what she looked like. Even her voice sounded wrong in his mind. Taking a breath, he took in his surroundings fully.

Cheap motel room, single bed where he was handcuffed to the bedposts. The TV was playing that Dr. Sexy show that Dean was obsessed with, everything else in the room was untouched. Shifting uncomfortably, he did the only thing he could do. There was no room to even try to Houdini his way out of the cuffs so he muttered something desperately, having never tried it but knowing it sometimes worked for Cas. "Dean-o, I know you hate my guts. Which is fair considering everything. I'm kind of in a bad-"

"Well this is promising." Gabriel jerked against his bindings when Dean appeared at the foot of the bed, arms crossed over his chest.

Gabriel let out a shaky breath, forcing himself to act casual, "I mean if you wanted to screw me all you had to do was ask, Deanarino."

Dean snorted, "I shouldn't even be screwing your baby bro." Dean waved his hand and the cuffs vanished.

"Then you should stop." Gabriel suggested lightly as he moved into a sitting position, rubbing his wrists uncomfortably.

Dean glared at him, "I had. Until you opened your dumbass mouth. I'd never throw that crap into my brothers' faces. It's a shitty thing to do."

"You have brothers?" Gabriel asked, perplexed. This was definitely something that had never come up in conversation before and it had him super curious.

"That won't give you a better idea of who I am and it won't give you an out to free your brother from our deal." Gabriel watched the god for a long moment before said god broke the silence. "How'd you end up here?"

The lie flowed easily though Dean and him both knew it was crap, "Got jumped. Taken off guard."

"Right. Whatever. This place stinks of magic and Hell. You call in one of your pals from the pit?"

Gabriel opened his mouth then shut it again, suppressing any of the residual memories from Hell that might've tried to make their appearance. It wasn't exactly difficult to do but for a brief moment flashes of blood and a dark laugh that couldn't belong to him, yet, somehow he knew _did_ belong to him surfaced.

"Next time you're in trouble. Call your angel boyfriend."

"He's not-"

"Of course he's not. You just wanna make him your boyfriend. Or one of your bed buddies. I'm going to warn you now, Gabriel. Don't screw up that angel. I mean it. I have absolutely no qualms about killing you." With that threat the scene changed and Gabriel was sitting on his bed in their hotel room.

Dean was nowhere to be seen, and Cas was staring at him from the other bed, his hand already going for the gun under his pillow.

"Woah woah woah, Cas. Don't shoot." Once he got past the disorientation he was able to take full account of their room. Which was basically the same as it had been when he'd left that morning.

"What-"

"Dean. I was… kidnapped by a hunter." That definitely made the top ten… maybe twenty list the most bizarre things he'd ever spoken. "Your god swooped in like a knight in shining armor."

Cas stared at him like he was insane, which was a fair reaction considering the two things he'd just said.

"Kidnapped… by a hunter?"

"Yes. Did you forget English? Kid…napped… by… a… hunter… _comprendé_?" He enunciated, earning a glare from his brother.

"What did you do?"

"Why is it automatically my fault!" He responded defensively, glowering at his brother just a bit.

"Gabriel."

"I didn't _do_ anything! She was as straight as a perfect sphere. It's not like I could've done what I may or may not have thought about for ten seconds before I realized that fact. Look, I did what you told me to. I was at the library researching and she caught sight of Samhain on the screen. We did some research together and found out what they're going to do. Then…" He shifted uncomfortably. "I followed her and… I heard her talking on the phone with the Queen of Hell. At least that's who-"

"The Queen of Hell?"

"Yes. I'm speaking English, Cassie. She said it was the Queen of Hell. Called her Nex."

"And she's a hunter?"

"Said she was."

"What kind of hunter-"

"We hang around a god, and apparently an angel, honestly that was the least confusing thing about that encounter."

"What did she want? Why the did she kidnap you?"

"She did the whole 'if I tell you I'll have to kill you' bit then told me and…then I blacked out."

"Are you sure it wasn't our witch?"

"Positive. The witch wouldn't have given me a step by step on how the summoning would happen."

Cas looked down at the book he'd been reading thoughtfully, "So you were kidnapped by a hunter because she told you her secrets. If she is a hunter, what's she doing here?"

"Apparently she's hunting Samhain."

"There isn't information on this being a case anywhere. Okay, Gabriel. I need a word for word explanation of _everything_ that happened."

Sighing in exasperation, Gabriel took a step back and told the story of what had happened, from start to finish, leaving out the detail about the coin and embellishing that there was a small fight.

"So, you were knocked out by a five-foot one girl that may or may not be the witch. A girl you can't remember the name of, what she looks like or what she sounds like other than she _may or may not_ have had a British or Canadian accent. British or Canadian. Those don't sound the same. At all."

"Sorry if my near-death experience is a bit off on details." Gabriel responded. The situation was still confusing him and the fact that he had no _recollection_ of who she was had him feeling uneasy.

"So she's supposed to be hunting these witches, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well let's actually be hunters for a few days and find her."

Gabriel opened his mouth then shut it, because there was nothing he could say in response to his idea. At least nothing that didn't revolve around "that's a good idea" and he'd be damned, again, if he would give his already smug smiling brother the satisfaction.

.-~*~-.

Samuel was tired. Not because he was separated from his Soul. For the time being he could handle that. Possibly.

No. He was tired of killing his family. He was not the only angel either. The more of his brothers and sisters that fell, the harder things got. It was clear in all of the angels around him. They were outnumbered by a landslide. The supply of demons was endless. It felt as though for every one he killed, it summoned fifteen more.

Samuel had been taken to protect The Wailing Wall with Balthazar and around a hundred and fifty other angels. That was all that remained in their battle.

It was barely enough. They had called for reinforcements but so far they had nothing. Lucifer was whispering to them, making promise after promise. It seemed that the family protecting this wall had no intentions of betraying Heaven. It was important they kept the wall safe. If they failed, they would lose five Seals from the wall alone.

Just as Samuel drove his blade through a demon's heart the fluttering of wings filled the air as a new angel arrived, the power that came with it was instantaneous.

Hannah did not hesitate in allowing her power to explode from her vessel, effectively vaporizing every demon in a twenty-mile radius. It did not stop the opposing angels. Hannah could not do that without killing their side. Almost as soon as she arrived she left the battle, no doubt returning to Heaven to reenergize.

It had given them time. Time to gather their bearings. Samuel spread his wings and launched himself forward to the nearest opposing angel, running a blade through her chest, "I am sorry." He muttered as the corpse slumped to the ground.

They weren't prepared for what happened next. None of them had considered the possibility. Of course, they should have. They should have known that their allies weren't all cemented, and they never should have left one of the angels that once possessed a Soul so close.

A ripple of power tore across the battlefield, knocking all the angels off their feet, as The Wailing Wall was destroyed.

No. Destroyed was a bad term. It had been disintegrated, a part of it had. One of their sisters, _Janiel_ , had vacated her vessel and thrown herself into the wall. She had used her Grace as a bomb that incinerated the middle of it.

The Seals were broken.

Despite the war they were fighting the angels that had been advancing on them fled. No doubt to attack another one of the Seals, no one followed them.

 _'One of our own. She was on our side. She did not lay her blade down. Why would she do that? Why would she sacrifice herself?'_

Of course Samuel understood, to an extent. He understood because he knew his family. He had watched them closely, the ones who had Souls, spoken to some of them, the ones who had found their Souls. Janiel was one of the ones who had lost hers. Samuel had watched her stand on the edge of The Graveyard with her blade in hand. He had not tried to talk her away from it, she had made the choice to live on her own.

Lucifer was destroying them. All of them. Samuel's wings twitched behind him in dread.

 _'The Wailing Wall has fallen and with it gone we will take the remainder of Jerusalem.'_ Lucifer announced, sending ice down Samuel's vessel's spine. _'You are losing, brothers and sisters. Stop fighting me. I will win. We will break them all. I do not wish for my brothers and sisters to be killed. I have never wished for that. Join us. Join my side. I will not keep asking.'_

Samuel looked over as Balthazar wiped blood from his Vessel's face, a shudder running across his wings. They stared at each other for a long moment before flying to Heaven, each of them leaving the destroyed wall behind. They would be assigned a new task, a new place to protect.

Now Samuel was acutely aware of each angel on their side. Each angel who had lost their Soul already. Any of them had the potential of turning on them. They were the ones Lucifer was targeting.

They would lose. It was a matter of time. When The First Seal broke they knew it would happen. It was only a matter of how long it would take for them to be broken. How long they could protect those seals.

 _'Brothers! Sisters! Rejoice!'_ Rejoice? Hannah's joy had no place in that tragic moment. They had lost a group of Seals. A very important set of Seals. _"A fledgling has been born!"_

Just like that Samuel was flying to Heaven's garden.


	6. 5: Jerusalem Has Fallen

Every angel who was not preoccupied with guarding a Seal at that moment arrived in The Garden in one massive flutter of wings.

Heaven's Garden was beautiful. A place that was completely indescribable by human terms. An angel could spend centuries speaking of the beauty and sights of it and never grow restless or tired. They also could never come close to truly describing its beauty. It was the location that many angels chose to spend their time. One of the happiest places in all of Heaven, even with its painful history.

All of the unoccupied angels had gathered at the tree that resided in the center, the tree known as The First Tree. There were few angels that were not occupied in that moment, but there were some. Mostly it was the angels who had been guarding The Wailing Wall with him.

A new angel had not been born in a very long time. At the time their Father had left Heaven, fledglings had continued to arrive. Back then, there was always an angel sitting next to The First Tree. An angel's whose job was to wait. Wait for the new angels, the new fledglings, wait then bring them to Debriel. It was said every single angel following the creation of the Archangels had arrived beneath this tree.

Though it had continued to happen, the loss of their Father had left the number of angels born significantly decreased. It had not been until Debriel died that the fledglings had stopped arriving completely. The angels who had been tasked with waiting for the arrival of the fledglings had stopped waiting. All it had done was leave them all littered with a sadness and loss. The Garden was meant to be a place of happiness. The First Tree was avoided for the most part following that loss. Another place the angels rarely spoke of, however it was spoken of. Unlike The Graveyard. Most angels suspected the lack of fledglings was related to Debriel being the Archangel tasked with training them. Without the Archangel meant to train them, why would they be born?

There were other angels that believed it was their Father punishing them. Just as his leaving was a punishment for them. For what, they were not sure. Maybe for letting Debriel die, maybe for them not being strong enough to handle losing their Souls. The possibilities were endless and no one had answers.

The First Tree was crowded for the first time in hundreds to thousands of years. Samuel had been very fortunate. He had been one of the first to arrive at The First Tree. By his luck, he was close to the front of the crowd. He could _see_. As with many things, it was one thing to hear but another thing entirely to _see._

Beneath the tree rested a small ball of energy, of Grace. Brighter Grace than Samuel had ever seen in a newly formed fledgling. It was a bit peculiar but Samuel decided not to think on it. It was completely possible the fledgling had been there for days to weeks without anyone realizing it. Especially with the battles. It had probably been maturing without them ever realizing its presence.

Said fledgling rested under The First Tree. Its form flickering across different waves, its wings tucked away where no one could see. Hannah was sitting next to the fledgling, watching the new angel. For the first time in a very long time Hannah's Grace flickered with joy. Zachariah stood on the other side of The First Tree, disdain clear in his Grace and on his Vessel's face. The fledgling's Grace flickered again, drawing Samuel's attention from the Seraph. Without Debriel a question remained.

' _Brothers. Sisters.'_ Hannah's Enochian words rang across all of their Grace's, outshining Lucifer's promises with words of hope and joy. The Seraph's gaze never left the fledgling, never moved from the small ball. _'It has been a very long time since Father has blessed us with a fledgling. I am aware we have lost an important location and five Seals with it. That fact cannot be forgotten. It will not be forgotten. You all fought to the best of your capabilities, brothers and sisters. You did what no angel should have to do. I believe our new sister is a reward for your efforts; for all of our efforts in stopping Lucifer. It is a sign that we_ will _win this battle. It is not time for The Apocalypse to begin. We will succeed. Our newest sister is evidence of such. Rejoice, brothers and sisters!'_

That did not answer the question of who would train the new fledgling. A question that had never been asked. Shouts of joy rang across their brothers and sisters, along with those joyous shouts were whispers, a single question asked a hundred different ways.

' _Who will train her?'_ Samuel's own variation of the question had escaped him before he realized he was asking.

Hannah finally rose so that she was standing before the gathered angels, her attention leaving the fledgling for the first time. Her Grace shone bright, her Enochian words strong. _'Brothers and sisters. It was Debriel who Father assigned the task of protecting and raising us. Each of us was trained and raised by our brother. As we all are aware, Debriel is gone. Raphael has spoken to the Seraphs. It has been agreed upon that this difficult task shall fall on both Zachariah and I for the current time. Should there be any complications, Raphael himself will take on the task.'_

More whispers, Zachariah did not look happy about it, he was glaring across the crowd of angels with a look that made Samuel want to run.

Samuel watched as Hannah knelt down next to the fledgling again, running her Vessel's hand as well as tendrils of her own Grace across the new angel. With care she lifted the fledgling from the ground, her Vessel's hands wrapping around the Grace as if it was a small child. When Hannah returned her attention to the angels she held her high for all of the angels to see, her Vessel's eyes closed, her Grace reaching out from beneath her Vessel's skin and running into the new angel.

Samuel knew what was happening.

Every angel came with a name gifted to them by their Father. It was always the first angel that touched them that learned this information. Samuel had experienced it once before. The connection of an angel to that fledgling's Grace was never forgotten. An experience like no other. For one brief singular moment they were so much more. They felt so much more. They were themselves, yet they were another angel entirely. He had been the angel to collect the Seraph Anael. An angel who had Fallen by choice many years ago upon losing her Soul. Samuel had been the angel that brought her to Hannah for delivery to Debriel. It was Debriel who learned everything else about an angel. Its purpose, what it must be trained for, what it would do for Heaven.

' _Brothers and sisters, meet our newest sister. Meet Samael.'_

The fledgling lit up with more power at the mention of her name and, for the first time since their arrival, her wings stretched out behind her. Six sets of wings unfolding from behind her. Six sets of wings with indescribable shades of dark reds and black all blended together in one beautiful canopy of feathers.

' _Six sets!'_ Startled cries of shock and confusion rang across them at the sight. This was not just any fledgling. Six wing sets. Twelve total. _Impossible._ A new Archangel. Archangels had never been born beneath The First Tree. _This cannot happen._ Archangels were older than The First Tree. There were only four Archangels. This Samael could not be an Archangel, and yet, the extra power, the wings, they were there.

' _Return to Earth! All of you! Find a Seal and protect it!'_ Raphael's order rang across Heaven as he arrived in The Garden seconds following the revelation. A crack of thunder rattled through all of Heaven upon his arrival and all of the angels fled. Samuel arrived in the hotel where his Soul slept moments later, he could work with the brothers to protect the Samhain Seal.

.-~*~-.

When Sam arrived, Gabriel was asleep. Might he add, happily asleep. Seriously, as stressful as the day had been, the sleep had been great. Getting kidnapped and dealing with death threats from Dean had only been the icing on the cake. A couple hours after he'd returned they'd been watching the news when a massive series of what they had called earthquakes shook half of Israel. At the time they had confirmed _at least_ a thousand dead. The death count was still on the rise. The media said earthquakes, Cas and Gabriel suspected it was something worse. Something to do with The Apocalypse. Gabriel had decided it was all too much so he had told Cas to screw off and gone to sleep.

When Castiel shook him awake he fought through the residual haze of sleep, blinking several times and taking in his surroundings. The hotel room, the lack of sunrise leaking through the window telling him it wasn't daytime or sunrise for that matter, and Cas leaning over him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What the hell?" He muttered, pulling the pillow over his head, "Cas, go back to sleep. Seriously. Sleep-"

"Sam is here." Three words that broke through the haze of sleep. _Sam is here._

Gabriel blinked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Sure enough, standing in the corner of the room, staring off into the distance, was Sam.

"I've been trying to get him to respond but he just stands there."

 _That isn't weird at all._ Gabriel pushed off the bed, careful of the fact that he was still waking up, and made his way to the corner of the room, "Cas, turn the light on." He stopped a few inches in front of the, abnormally tall, angel. "Sam?" He asked, reaching out and touching the angel's arm. Sam blinked several times, looking down at him and, for a brief moment, they just stood there. Gabriel would've sworn on his life that the angel was staring straight through him and it made him feel more uncomfortable then he'd ever admit.

When the light in the room flicked on they broke eye contact and he took a step back, looking up at the angel who had a mixture of conflicted emotions on his face. "You alright there, Sam?"

"I am… fine." The angel lied, not at all coming close to sounding convincing.

"No, you aren't. What happened?" Gabriel wasn't going to put up with the angel keeping something from him, which was probably cause for alarm considering he really had no right to demand answers from an angel. There was also the question of why he was pushing for it in the first place.

The angel shifted uncomfortably, averting his gaze and shivering slightly. Gabriel made the decision to give him space and backed up to the bed, finding the Cas was seated on the foot of it. Pushing his brother over slightly he settled onto it at the same time Samuel sat down on the floor. "A fledgling, which is a new angel, has been born. Something that has not happened in an extremely long time." The angel's discomfort made it clear that the birth was not a good thing. "There are four Archangels. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Debriel. They have existed since before time began. No Archangel has ever been born beneath The First Tree. Until now. The fledgling that arrived was an Archangel. It is… We are mid battle attempting to thwart Lucifer from rising and now… There is a new Archangel. With Debriel gone we do not know her purpose. My brothers and sisters are… conflicted, as am I. This is an unneeded distraction. Especially after losing The Wailing Wall."

The Wailing Wall? "Well that explains a lot." He muttered absently, earning a confused look from the angel. "Yesterday. Israel had a bunch of Earthquakes."

Samuel blinked before vanishing.

"Well that was…"

"Strange?" Cas offered, frowning. "He really doesn't offer much, does he?"

"I think he's trying to, just isn't really good at it."

They didn't say anything for a while following that. Gabriel rose from where he was sitting and flipped through the TV until he found a cheesy action movie.

It was probably an hour before a flutter of wings filled the room and Gabriel looked over to see a blood covered Samuel slump to the floor. Before he realized he was moving he was on his knees next to the angel.

"No one noticed. _None of us._ Six hundred angels lost and _none of us realized._ " Broken and lost, the only words Gabriel could think of that described the angel's voice.

.-~*~-.

When Samuel had arrived in Israel the destruction and devastation had been monumental. Buildings of all shapes and sizes had collapsed on themselves, Samuel could hear _the screams._ So many people. _So many lives._ Without a thought he had flown into one of the nearby collapsed buildings, a daycare. Many of the children were dead. Others were not nearly as fortunate.

Dread had him avoiding an instant trip to Jerusalem. Dread had him destroying rubble until he found the few survivors of the single building. It had him kneeling down next to the broken body of a young girl who was sobbing and crying out, begging for her mom. His throat closed as he touched the girl's forehead and used his Grace to heal her. It would have been so easy to spend years in the city protecting and healing. When she stared at him with big brown eyes, the most grateful look on her face, he regretted his choice. His choice to stay away. Once he could have been a watcher, a healer. Instead he had chosen to hide away in Heaven. He could have helped so many but his selfish fear had kept him away.

"Who are you?" It did not occur to him that she was speaking a different language in that moment. Human languages were all known to him. They all resonated in his Grace as one language.

If it was not for the fact that he had responded in Gabriel's native tongue, "I am an angel," earning a confused look from the child, he would not have realized the dilemma. After a brief moment he understood his mistake and repeated, "I am an angel."

The girl stared at him in awe as he lifted her carefully into his arms. It would have been a kindness for him to clean the blood from her but in that moment, it did not matter. All that mattered was helping her and the six other survivors in that building. Samuel flew her from there, leaving her on the destroyed street as he repeated the task with the other remaining living humans in the building. There were no adults which left Samuel with unease. None of the children he had rescued were over seven. Would they survive if he left them there in the street?

He needed to make his trip to Jerusalem but…

"I will take you somewhere safe." He promised in their native tongue as he rested his hands on two of the children's shoulders. He took them all to an intact neighboring city before he finally made the trip he had been dreading.

Jerusalem had been wiped out. Every building and location was _gone_. It was as empty, if not more, than the day Earth had been created.

That was not the most disturbing thing about it.

Death hung heavy in the air and Samuel moved through the empty city, searching until…

Raw agony tore across his Grace when he _saw_.

There had been three hundred of their angels remaining in Jerusalem, protecting the remaining ten Seals there. They were the smaller Seals. Ten scattered Seals throughout the city. Lucifer had made a point of matching the angels in Jerusalem angel for angel, three hundred of Heaven's angels for three hundred of Hell's. Then the demons. The armies of demons.

 _No one knew._

Every angel that had been present there, from both sides, was dead. Samuel could _feel_ it. The residual Grace. The last of it.

 _How did we not see? How did we not know?_

It was not possible. Six hundred angels, he did not care if half of that number had belonged to Hell. There was no logical explanation as to _why_ they did not know. The death of an angel was always known.

' _Brothers! Sisters! Jerusalem is gone!'_ No. He did not make sure that it was only their side that heard that. Lucifer and his army were still their _family._ Despite the fact that they were slaughtering each other, they still cared. All of them still cared.

Lucifer's dark promises stopped just like that, for the first time since he had started speaking to them from the cage, since The First Seal had broken, Lucifer was quiet.

Not just Lucifer. All of them were silent.

The dead silence that followed could have lasted for years, angels arrived from both sides, looking across the empty city.

' _Six hundred dead.'_ Lucifer's mournful voice rang across them, the first voice to break the silence. For that moment, Lucifer was their elder brother. Not the enemy. Samuel had never experienced Lucifer as an older brother but he knew. Lucifer was their second oldest brother. There had been a time when he was good. ' _Brothers and sisters. We must not battle. Not for now. This should not have happened. I do not understand what happened there but we must mourn them. We will not attack seals for a day of Earth's time. Mourn those who we have lost. Michael and Raphael, if you can hear me. Do not be foolish. If you or your Seraphs send your angels for any of mine, I will break this truce. You have a day, brothers and sisters.'_

Samuel stood in that place, listening to Lucifer. Listening to his words. The other present angels looked between each other, Lucifer's angels had their head bowed in what may have been prayer. _Six hundred lost._

None of them spoke. Lucifer was silent. Samuel stretched his wings and flew, flew to his Soul. _One day._

A day to mourn. Lucifer was giving them a day.

He arrived in the room and slumped to the floor.

"No one noticed. _None of us._ Six hundred angels lost and _none of us realized._ "

The corner of his eyes were burning. Crying. He was crying.

"Sam-"

"Gabriel." Samuel looked up through tear blurred eyes, Gabriel staring back at him with so much concern that his Grace felt as though it might explode. When Gabriel had gripped his wrist earlier it had pulled him out of his communication with Balthazar of what Samael might be, what she might do.

He had heard of this. The way humans care, the way they feel, the way they project emotion into the slightest looks and touches. Samuel had seen it. In Heaven he had seen it between soulmates and family. Until then he had not understood the significance of the actions.

 _Cared for._

"We lost them. So many. None of us knew. Lucifer did not know, none of us knew. What could kill that many of us without no one knowing?"

' _It was Samael.'_ Balthazar spoke quietly to him from wherever he was, only to him.

Except it couldn't have been, it had to have been someone else. As much as Sam wished to believe it was Samael, to blame it on the new Archangel, the attack had sounded… almost immediately following the loss of The Wailing Wall. Unless he took into account the delay between Heaven and Earth, it _could_ happen, though it was _very_ unlikely. However, if that was the case, _why_? Why would their Father give them a new Archangel that destroyed Seals and angels? Was it a sign? A sign they should stop protecting Seals?

The short man wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled. With a bit of discomfort Samuel allowed the man to move him to the bed and settle him onto the foot of it. Faintly Samuel heard his Soul whispering apologies, he did not pry. Later he would explain what had happened. Later. At the time all he did was sit on the edge of the bed and think over each angel they had lost. _Six hundred._

All of the angels were quiet. Not a word had been spoken on the deaths of those angels by any of the Seraphs. Not by Michael or Raphael. Samuel would have expected at least something from Hannah but it was silent. Until it was not.

' _Strike now, brothers and sisters. Kill them while their guard is down.'_ Zachariah's order rang across all of the angels.

Most of the angels, the blindly loyal obedient angels followed the order without a second thought.

They _struck._ They _killed._

Other angels, angels like Samuel, shouted protests. It was reflexive. ' _This is not right!'_

It was not right. It was far from right. It was also a mistake.

Angels were loyal. It was a commonly known fact. They were all loyal. In the beginning, they had all been loyal to Heaven. In the beginning, that had been the only option. Heaven and their Father. Then Lucifer had rebelled and they had been given a choice. Most angels remained with Heaven. It was what they knew, it was what they all knew. Some had joined their brother in his rebellion, but most had remained with Heaven. At the time, they had seen it as the correct answer. Angels were not loyal to Heaven because it was Heaven. That was the truth few knew. They were loyal to the side they believed was right. Back when Lucifer had rebelled, his reasons for rebelling may have been fair but they were not right. His reaction was not correct.

Zachariah had made a mistake in demanding they kill their brothers and sisters while a truce was in place. There were lines you did not cross. Not in battle. Not with family. Forcing them to kill their family was bad enough but telling them to do it with no true _reason._ That was not right. Samuel felt himself summoning his blade before he realized he was doing it.

It was by sheer willpower he stopped himself from laying it down. _Must stay strong. There is more to it than the loss of his Soul._

' _Oh, Zachariah. You have made a mistake, brother. I promise you. When I am free. You will be the first I kill. No humans. No other angels. Not Michael or Raphael. Not Naomi or any of the other Seraphs._ You _. This was a choice made by_ you _. Doing this is an insult to the memories of our brothers and sisters. I have done many terrible things in my life. Never like this.'_

Lucifer's promise was dangerous and despite everything, Samuel was grateful for it. Zachariah had pushed Samuel into a terrible position the other day. Nearly talked him into turning on his brothers just by pure cruelty. Maybe it was not all his fault but that did not change the action and the effect it had on Samuel's view towards the Seraph. Lucifer was right in this situation. He felt it as many of his brothers and sisters turned, as many of them joined Lucifer.

' _Zachariah has done a solid job at turning Heaven against itself.'_ Balthazar's bitter comment came across to him and Samuel reveled in the familiarity of it. _'Lucifer is still wrong. Remember that, Samuel.'_

' _I will try, Balthazar.'_ He promised his brother, remembering that fact. Holding onto it.

' _I was going to give us all time to mourn. Courtesy of Zachariah we will return to attacking the Seals instead. You can thank your Seraph for this. Do mourn their loss. I will not celebrate the Seals that were broken with their deaths. We have destroyed sixteen of them, brothers and sisters. We are close to having another twenty. It will not take much longer until I am free. You can lay your weapons for me at any time before or after I am free. I will always accept you, brothers and sisters. Know this.'_

"I'm telling you, Gabe. We should call De-" Castiel's voice broke through and for the first time since Zachariah had ordered them to kill the other angels Samuel was fully aware of his surroundings. The blade he had summoned returned to where it belonged, listening to the brothers for a moment while he got his bearings. Lucifer began his promises again, this time less insistent. More as though he was going through the motions.

"Not calling your stupid god. Now shutup. I got his attention before."

"I still do not understand why you think-"

"Sam. Sammy, c'mon. Come back to us." Gabriel cut his brother off and Samuel had to briefly wonder how long he had been attempting to gain his attention. He blinked several times, focusing on Gabriel who was leaning over him, he scrunched his eyebrows and took into account that he was on his back on the bed.

"Sammy!" The shorter man wrapped his arms around him, awkwardly considering he was half leaning against the bed and Samuel was laying down. It took a second for Samuel to recognize the hug.

"I…"

Samuel had no idea what to say, Gabriel pulled himself off Sam, "What happened? You were freaking out. Kept saying stuff."

"I do not want to talk about it." The truth was painful. What Zachariah had done was a line crossed. He did not want to explain to Gabriel what had happened because it would raise questions. Questions that he would either have to avoid the answers on or be truthful about. Which would bring angels and their Souls into light. Explaining what a Soul meant to an angel would be difficult without giving himself away.

"Alright. We won't talk about it. Cas, could you call up your boy-" Gabriel stopped, took a breath, and continued, "Call Dean and get him to summon up some clothes for angel boy here."

"Why don't you call him?"

"Because if I call him he's going to tell me to fuck off. Which I wouldn't mind doing. Just prefer-"

"Okay, I'm calling him."

Gabriel chuckled as Samuel pushed himself into a sitting position. Curiously he watched a red faced Castiel rush from the other bed towards the door, "C'mon, Cassie. Don't be a prude. Can't tell me you've never done it while we're-" Castiel threw open and slammed the door before Gabriel could finish his sentence and he burst into a fit of laughter, dropping down on the mattress next to Samuel.

.-~*~-.

Despite the way he was acting, he was concerned for the angel. Sam had said a lot of things while he had been on the bed. It was as though they had been hearing half of a conversation about currently happening events. Maybe passing thoughts that Sam had spoken without realizing it. He wasn't sure what most of it meant and he wasn't positive he wanted to know.

"So, Sam. We're here for this hunt. Could you angel up anything that might help us?"

He glanced over and up at the angel who had a considerate look on his face. "I may be able to sense them. Unless they have themselves warded against angels. I will retu-"

"Wait!" Gabriel grabbed the angel's arm before he could flutter off to wherever.

"What is it?"

Gabriel eyed the shredded clothing the angel was wearing, which was already suspicious enough in public situations, but the fact that he was covered in blood made it more problematic.

"You're covered in blood." Gabriel pointed out, Sam scrunched his eyebrows and looked down at himself and, No! Gabriel was _not_ staring. Absolutely not. He definitely was not thinking of how damned adorable the angel was at moments like this. Shaking those thoughts away, because he really had no right to be thinking them, he asked about it, not trying to sound as though he was prying but… it was a lot of blood. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"It is from the children." Gabriel stared at the angel who continued quickly, "When I was in Jerusalem I rescued some children. I could not do much but I rescued and healed seven children in a daycare and brought them to a city to be helped."

Gabriel was surprised, surprised at the way the angel expressed emotion when speaking of the children. He smiled fondly, looking a bit distant. As though that memory was the greatest thing in existence. Maybe it was because of whatever followed. Samuel had mentioned six hundred angels dying in Jerusalem. That had to be right.

"So, the blood…"

"They were seriously injured. I healed them but that did not remove the blood the injuries had caused. I must have gotten the blood on me when I carried them."

That was an interesting visual. The angel carrying a human child. Suddenly he was assaulted with visuals of Sam with white fluffy wings and a halo holding a baby…he had to wonder.

"Do you have wings? Actual wings?" _ADD much, Gabe?_ He asked himself but didn't regret it. There had been that brief moment in the warehouse with Bobby where he'd seen the shadows on the wall. The shadows could've purely been symbolic. If they were real…

Sam nodded once, "I do."

"Could I see them?"

Samuel hesitated, shifting uncomfortably and, for a brief second, Gabriel was worried he'd asked something he shouldn't have. What was an angel's wings to an angel? Was it-

"Most humans cannot see an angel's wings. It is a projection of our True Form which can burn a human's eyes out. If I was not worried about harming you, I would attempt to show them to you but I do not wish to harm you." Sam said quickly, cutting him off.

 _He's worried about me._ Wait. Where had _that_ come from? _What are you? A love stricken teenage girl? Jesus, Gabe._

"Right." He said awkwardly, unsure how to respond to that. Especially with his mind going to strange places.

The door opened a moment later and Gabriel turned to see Cas holding a collection of clothing that was all too Dean for Gabriel's liking. In fact, Gabriel was about to make his thoughts on the plaid known when his brother interrupted him.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Gabe. He knows you were asking for them. Dean's exact words were, 'Use your own money if you want to be picky. Get the damned angel dressed and leave me alone. Believe it or not, gods have work too'. He also said to check the high school." Cas dropped the clothes on the edge of the bed and Gabriel pushed out of the bed.

"Alright, Sammy. Go in the bathroom, wash up, and change then see if you can't spot the witches."

Sam hesitantly stood up, taking the clothes from the bed and walking towards the bathroom with unease. Gabriel watched him move, wondering for a moment if the angel actually knew how to do any of what he'd asked.

"Stop staring at him, Gabe."

"I'm not staring!" He defended a little too loudly as the door closed.

"You are staring." Castiel responded bluntly and Gabriel sighed in exasperation, turning his attention to his brother.

"Fine. I was staring. What can I say? He's hot, and, if you'd get your head out of your ass about Dean-o you'd be staring too."

"No, I wouldn't. Even if it wasn't for the thing with Dean. I wouldn't stare because I don't stare. It's rude. Especially since he's clearly already really uncomfortable."

"Do you admit he's attractive then?"

His brother glared at him, "If I say yes will you leave me alone about it?"

"No. But if you say yes I'll have hope that maybe you can get over Dean and move on."

Cas sighed and looked away, "I am."

Gabriel blinked. There was no way… "Am what?"

"Getting over Dean. Sort of. Well not exactly. I'm… looking at other people again. Can we not do this?"

Gabriel stared at his brother as though he'd grown a second head. _He is getting over Dean._ What the hell had changed in the past day?

"No. We are doing this. What the fuck did Dean do to you?" Gabriel was about ten seconds from summoning Dean and kicking his ass.

Cas looked up at the ceiling and Gabriel watched his brother with worry he hadn't experienced in a long while. "He didn't do anything to me. I really don't want to talk-"

"No. You aren't getting off the hook. You've been pining over Dean for at least five years. Hell, you were still-"

"I met someone. I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to you about it because I wasn't sure myself. I'm still stupidly in love with Dean. That hasn't changed. It probably won't change. But I've been looking, and I met someone, while you were in Hell. We've been talking off and on for months and I met up with her yesterday while you were at the library. Dean took me to Michigan to see her. I'm not saying something stupid, I'm not in love with her or something like that and I'm not over Dean. I'm still extremely conflicted about all of that. Dean didn't do anything stupid to change things, I did something to try to change things."

Gabriel stared at his brother, dumbfounded. _How the hell did you miss this?_ He'd only been back from Hell for a couple weeks and it didn't take a rocket scientist to notice things were different with his brother, subtle little things, but they were different.

"Gabriel?" Gabriel jerked his head towards the bathroom and… okay so maybe plaid didn't look that terrible on Sam… _Focus, Gabe._ He cleared his throat. "Is this good?"

"Yeah. Um… go check the school I guess. See if you can find our witches." Sam nodded and disappeared.

"Done with the heart to heart?"

"Yeah. I'm going to shower then we'll head out." Gabriel collected his bag from the floor and headed to the bathroom and, if the shower happened to be a cold shower, well that wasn't for anyone else to know.


	7. 6: Ending Samhain

People were easy to manipulate. All it took was careful wording and the right looks and most anyone would eat out of your palms. At least that was how it was with most people. Occasionally, Gabriel ran into stubborn hard ass old ladies who couldn't take a joke and was a stickler for _rules_. Unfortunately, today was just one of _those days_.

"I simply _cannot_ just give out student transfer information to you. These are their private documents. Some of it has their psych records." The elderly secretary insisted, eying his badge with the suspicion of someone who trusted no one. It wasn't exactly a terrible way to view things but right now…

"With all do respect, ma'am. These students I am searching for are suspects in a _murder_ investigation." He sighed, pocketing the fake badge and crossing his arms over his chest, "How about this? I let you call my supervisor and he clears things up for you."

The woman looked him over once before nodding curtly.

"Perfect." He reached into the pocket of his pants, setting the card on the desk and making a point of placing it where she'd have to lean forward. Before he turned he grabbed a sucker from the jar sitting on her desk and settled into one of the chairs, watching the elderly woman glare at him from her seat before she typed in the number.

Gabriel hadn't spent much time in high school. He should probably tell the true full tale of what lead them to doing the stupid crap they'd done, selling their souls to supernatural beings, hunting.

It had started with the death of their mom. Well, Cas' mom. Terra. Gabriel's mom had been a whore, in the literal sense of the term, who had left him on the doorstep. Terra, being the sweet wonderful woman that she was, had taken him in as her own. Cas had never known Terra. She'd died when he was a baby in a fire caused by a demon. Following that their father had become a hunter, not a great one. He wasn't some big hero. He wasn't great at his job. He also was a shitty father. It wasn't really his fault, he'd been left to take care of his two sons and at the same time learned a terrible truth about the world.

It was around the time Gabriel had turned fifteen their dad had been killed by a werewolf on a hunt gone wrong.

The responsibility for Cas had fallen on him. None of it had been pleasant. He was only fifteen. He wasn't a father, he was a brother. The first thing he'd done was drag Cas to the first family member he could find then the next and next. They'd all turned him down and Gabriel had learned that bad family skills were apparently common.

The biggest issue was Gabriel wasn't built to be responsible. Every time he had managed to get them at least partially stable he'd screwed it up. His reckless nature had nearly gotten him killed more than once over the years, and not on hunts. When it came to hunts, he was great. He got the job done and that was that. They'd survived, Gabriel had given up on school in his freshman year because he was trying to juggle hunting, take care of Cas, and doing anything he could possibly do to make money. Some of it he wasn't proud of, would never admit to.

Things had been messy up until eight or so years ago when they learned the demon that had killed their mother had executed all of their remaining family.

It was funny. Really, it was, Cas had bound himself to a god knowing full well what it entailed. He had done it for revenge for a mother he had never known and for the family that had turned them away in their biggest time of need. If they'd been fortunate enough to meet Bobby a few weeks sooner, things might've gone differently.

Maybe it was better that it went this way. Dean used to talk about Cas' tainted soul all the time, he'd brought it up again when Sam had met him. It was implied the taint in his soul would've grown until he was… corrupt. Dean had said it would've turned Cas into a demon or worse.

Needless to say, about a week after they'd met Dean, who had killed their demon in exchange for the bond between him and Cas, they'd met a hunter by the name of Bobby.

Bobby had taken them in and called them 'idgits' for not finding him sooner. It was oddly comfortable. For the first time in their life, they had been accepted by someone that treated them like family. Bobby didn't put up with Gabriel's shit. He'd sat him down and told him straight up that if he was going to stick around he had told the nights out drunk and fucking everything that moved was over.

That had been a hell of an argument, but it's not important for the story. Gabriel had cleaned up his act, for the most part, and Bobby had told him either he would find a job in town, work the salvage yard, or hunt. It was his choice.

So, they'd hunted. They spent a lot of time in the house but the rest of it was hunting. Killing things, sometimes with Dean's help, sometimes without it. It had gone on for years until Cas had gotten sick. Cancer. Who would've thought, right? Oh, had Gabriel been pissed. Hunters didn't die from _cancer._ They died getting mauled to death by werewolves or their throats ripped out by vampires. Not fucking _cancer._

The rest is simple. Dean told them he wouldn't help so he sold his soul, then he broke and started The Apocalypse, yadda yadda. It was all a big mess, falling apart at the seams.

One demon had led him to this point, sitting in a high school, reminiscing on his not so great childhood, while he waited for Bobby to lie his ass off to a high school secretary.

The world was a strange place.

"Agent Cox?" Gabriel blinked himself out of his thoughts, the elderly woman still looking suspicious as she addressed him, "I can't give the transfer documents to you but I can let you look at them."

If he was honest, he hadn't expected Bobby to convince her to let him anywhere near those documents. Ignoring his initial temptation to irritate her, he stated simply, "Thank you."

The woman guided him to a back room and he got to work.

.-~*~-.

Two hours later he had three suspects. Which wasn't exactly promising. Tracy Davis was an emancipated teen who had moved into town a month ago. Top of her class type of girl that Gabriel sort of doubted. Then there was Isaac and Zoe Moore who had arrived two and a half months ago, they sounded like polar opposites based off the brief things the secretary had said. Isaac was a party guy, constantly ditching class, whereas Zoe was a quiet straight A student who avoided any and all trouble.

Isaac and Zoe fit purely because, well, there were two of them.

This was why Gabriel didn't like only having three suspects. Especially when they were looking for two witches.

He trusted that Dean gave them useful information. The god never suggested something without reasons. However, all Dean had said was to check the high school. Automatically they'd assumed a student. Maybe it wasn't a student, maybe it was a teacher. Either way they'd have to check.

 _Hunting without any real information isn't fun._ He mused to himself as he stepped outside, making his way down the street and towards the motel. The walk was quiet as he considered what to do next. Cas was at the police station looking for any recent missing person reports that could be related. It was a long shot but it was all they had to work with.

When he got back to the motel, they really needed to invest in a car again _,_ Sam was sitting on the foot of the bed where they'd left him, a distant expression on his face.

He took a moment to look across the angel's body, well vessel but still, and take in the sights. _Oh boy._ He needed to stop lusting after the damned angel. Bad wording. But seriously. This could end any forms of bad ways. Of course, the second the angel had shown up, all epic entrance, which he could appreciate, and tall and hot and _dammit._ Gabriel was a simple being, Sam was hot, well his vessel was but still, from the moment he laid eyes on him he'd been hooked.

There was something else beyond the appearance. It was far from anything he wanted to consider because if he actually liked the angel's personality then things could get complicated fast and he didn't like complicated. Complicated was reserved for family. Still though, there was something about the way Sam looked at him. Looking at him as though he was seeing through him and making him feel all kinds of uncomfortable.

 _Shut off brain before I shoot you._ He lectured himself internally because where the _hell_ were his thoughts going there? _Fuck._ He was still standing in the door staring at Sam like a fool. Thankfully, the angel seemed to be off wherever he went when he was distant like that. There was no way he could explain why he was staring when his thoughts had taken a turn for the worst. _Attractive. He's attractive. That's it. Stop overthinking things._

He cleared his throat and closed the door a little louder than he'd planned. Sam blinked and looked at him.

These situations were uncomfortable for him, when it was just the two of them. Thankfully those uncomfortable too deep thoughts faded and he was able to make casual conversation while he waited for Cas to get back.

They settled onto the center space on opposite beds and talked for a while, Sam told him about Heaven, about how angels would arrive under what he referred to as 'The First Tree'. He spoke of the one angel he collected from the tree named Anael. Apparently, she had been a seraph, Sam had explained seraphs were higher ranked angels. They were angels that passed messages from the archangels to the lower ranking angels.

"So there are other seraphs? Besides Anael, I mean."

Sam avoided his gaze and spoke as though he hadn't asked the question. "Anael was kind, she was stern, a good leader, but she was kind. Most of the Seraphs are either one or the other. Kind or stern. She was both, and she was beautiful. Her form was bright. Her wings shone even brighter. No other could match it other than Lucifer himself. The day I brought her to Hannah Debriel spoke across Heaven. Our Father had chosen her as The Carrier of Light. It reminded many of Lucifer who had been The Bringer of Light. Some feared her because of this. I did not. Lucifer was beautiful. Despite it all, Lucifer _was_ a good angel at one point. He was loved by Heaven. It was unfair for us to treat Anael as though she would follow our brother simply because of a title given by our Father."

That had led to a strange question, "Did you know Lucifer?"

Sam let out a huff of breath that Gabriel realized was a laugh, which was…well strange. "I did not know him. I was born after his Fall. When we are… were brought to Debriel for training, there were three tasks he was assigned to handle with each angel. First, he would meld his Grace with ours. In this melding he would give us all of the information of most everything that had happened since The Early Days. Not before the first angel had been born but most everything following it. The second thing he would do was explain to us our task in Heaven. Every angel has a purpose given by our Father. I am a Warrior. There are Cherubs, Reapers, Rit Zien, there used to be Grigori, and many others. Debriel would tell us our task and it was who we were. The third and final thing he would do was train us. Debriel was the only angel in Heaven who fully understood each angel's task. Some believed that had he joined Michael in The First War with Lucifer they would have defeated him and Lucifer would not have been locked away." Sam seemed distant as he told the pieces of history, thoughtful, mournful. Of course it was understandable. That was his family, though from the sounds of it he had a _lot_ of family.

His mind was wandering again, which wasn't a good thing. _Does God just make angels out of thin air or… no, Gabriel. Bad, Gabriel. You are not gonna think about God getting it on with a something to make… dammit, mind! Shut off!_

Thankfully, Sam's voice pulled him out of his strange thoughts before they went in an even weirder direction. "After Father left… and a while before Debriel left there was a group of angels that believed that The Final War would not be between Michael and Lucifer. They believed that once Lucifer rose Debriel would destroy both of them and take control of Heaven, Hell, Earth, and Purgatory. They believed that Debriel was the only Archangel that had any right to lead us because he was the only one who knew us."

"What about you?" The words left before he realized he was asking them.

Several long moments of silence, "There is much you do not know, Gabr-Gabe." Sam glanced at him nervously when he used the name and Gabriel couldn't help the grin from crossing his face. The angel was unsure of himself. "There is a lot of turmoil in Heaven. Ever since The First Seal broke-" Gabriel winced, "Lucifer has been promising us things. Things I cannot begin to explain. Out there, where we are defending Seals. We are not simply battling Lucifer's demons. There is a much bigger problem. Lucifer is turning our brothers and sisters against us. When it started he simply asked us to lay our weapons down and that he would reward us with our…" Sam trailed off and continued without saying _what_ it was they were being offered as a reward. "After I rescued you, things changed. We were protecting Seals, guarding certain locations. I was in Jerusalem when Lucifer changed tactics. Brothers and sisters have been turning against us from the inside and attempting to kill us to assist Lucifer. After about a week he sent those very same angels that had been joining his side but not battling to attack the Seals. It was not just us fighting demons anymore, we were battling our brothers and sisters. It caused a great deal of damage."

Gabriel stared at him, it taking a minute to fully register in his brain. "Wait, you're killing your brothers and sisters?" Sam winced, looking away. _How is he upright? Killing his brothers and sisters._ _That's… I could never kill Cas and here he is talking about having to kill multiple…_ "That's where you keep disappearing to, isn't it? Guarding the seals."

"Yes. I am doing what I have to. I follow Heaven and what they order. Nothing else can come first." Sam recited off as in a monotone voice. The words lifeless and his angel- no not his angel. Where the hell had that come from? Things were getting way too damned uncomfortable. His mind was all over the place. Better to focus on the issue at hand.

Gabriel stared at him, seeing _the_ angel, who looked a bit distant and emotionless now, in an entirely new light. Yes, Sam had mentioned orders multiple times. Up until this point it had never fully registered with Gabriel what that meant. He'd assumed that the orders were sensible orders for soldiers. Fight the enemy, protect the seal, but this was something else. Obviously, they were fighting a war with their brothers and sisters against them. They would have to do that. But the way Sam had just said that… it was as though he had no choice, and no, that was not okay.

"Are they forcing you to kill them?"

"No." Sam said, too quickly.

"Sam-"

"Gabriel, I _do_ have a choice. I do not have to protect those Seals. I could choose not to assist my brothers and sisters in protecting them. I know this is difficult to understand but you have to trust me. Can we please not talk about this?"

Gabriel wanted to push. Every fiber of his being was telling him he needed to push because despite the conviction Sam showed, he was uncomfortable. There was more to this than he was letting on and Gabriel wasn't sure why but he knew it was important.

Just as he opened his mouth to say as much the motel room door jerked as someone tried to force it open. "Gabe!" Cas called from the other side as he tried it again, sounding frantic. Without a thought he was on his feet and rushing towards the door, throwing it up. "I messed up. We have to find them. _Now._ "

"What're you-"

"It's Dean. He's gone."

"He's _what?_ " The frantic look on his brother's face told him more than the words. If Dean had just casually left Cas wouldn't be freaking out, moping maybe, but not freaking out. This was something else. It caused the hair on the back of Gabriel's neck to stand up and left him prepared for a fight.

"I was leaving the police station when Dean appeared. He didn't explain anything to me, all he did was snap up his car and snap us in. He told me that he was going to drop-"

"Uriel." Sam spoke over wherever Cas was going with his story in the same moment a telltale sound of feathers filled the air.

At first, he assumed Sam had left but the way Cas stared past him, his mouth half open from whatever he was about to stay, said different. When Gabriel turned around he was met with the sight of a balding African American man.

Sam had moved from where he was on the bed before and half placed himself between, who Gabriel assumed was Uriel, and the brothers.

"Hello, Samuel."

"What are you doing here?" Samuel was rigid, Uriel looked casual.

"Zachariah sent me, Samuel. If you had been listening I'm sure you would have noticed." Uriel tilted his head, eying Gabriel in a way that made Gabriel all too uncomfortable, and not in a good way.

"They are going to handle them." Samuel stated and Uriel chuckled darkly.

"That isn't going to happen. I'm going to handle this before another Seal is broken. We've lost seventeen now, Samuel. We cannot afford to lose this one. Take your Soul, the tainted, and leave."

Energy crackled through the room and Gabriel instinctively took a step back, unconsciously placing himself between his brother and the two angels.

"You cannot do this, Uriel." Samuel stated.

"I will do what-" The bald angel looked past his brother towards the door, at first Gabriel thought he was looking at either Cas or himself but… "Don't you dare!" The angel warned in the same moment an intensely bright light filled the room. Gabriel had to shield his eyes and when he looked back around the room it was to find the room empty. He jerked around to see a short girl with bright red hair, _there's no way that's natural_ , and pale blue eyes standing in the door frame, where the door had some sort of sigil painted sloppily in burnt human blood.

Something about this girl was so damned familiar and yet try as he might he couldn't for the life of him _place_ it.

"Okay, I don' have time for-"

"Wait a minute. You're Dalara Lee Valentine."  
"Oh fo' the love of God you're one o' Bobby's kids. Explains half-wit o'er here." She pushed past them into the room and Gabriel caught sight of a backpack on her back as well as the blood dropping down her fingers, "I'm no' what you think I am. We need t' move."

 _Oh fuck._ He collapsed to his knees and held onto his head as memories came flooding back into his skull.

"Sorry I couldn' take the nice approach. We gotta get outta here, _now._ You ain't gonna like this." Her voice grated on him and he tightened his hold on his head as he looked up at her through clouded vision to see her drawing something in blood on the floor. Somewhere in the back of his mind he recognized the feeling of Cas' hands on him trying to get him to look at him. "'specially you, Gabe. Really am sorry 'bout this. We gotta get the hell outta dodge though and I don' got much time." She met his gaze as she pulled a small dagger covered in sigils from the inside of her tennis shoe and stabbed it into what could only be a sigil. The world around him sank into darkness and rematerialized in a large room and-

 _Oh shit!_

Cold. Everything was cold. So fucking cold. Gabriel _knew._

"Well, hello there. Welcome to Hell." A childish voice greeted from a distance.

.-~*~-.

The second Uriel had arrived Samuel had known something was seriously wrong. Uriel would not have shown up for a single seal unless he intended on doing some serious damage to anyone and everyone in range. Which would have been fine, except they had the seal under control. They still had several days and Gabriel had said he already had a lead on who it might be.

Samuel had not expected to be banished, in fact, it had never happened to him before. Hopefully it would never happen again.

There were few words to describe the feeling of being forcibly displaced like that, it felt as though not only his vessel had been torn apart to the very molecule but his Grace as well. When he woke up he was in a field and, when he checked, found he was in Europe though he could not place where.

Something was seriously _wrong_. He took an absent inventory of himself, healing a few scrapes on his Vessel. His Grace was still fully rematerializing, more importantly, his wings. He needed to get back to that motel. Whoever that girl had been had banished them and, while it would give the brothers a chance to escape Uriel's wrath, something in him told him that she was _dangerous._ How they had not noticed her on arrival was beyond him. Maybe it was due to their focus on each other or maybe it had something to do with the way she had stunk of Hell. He was not sure but he needed to find out.

' _Oh, brother. That girl signed the death of your Soul.'_ Uriel's dark words rang through his Grace and Samuel was flying.

He was too late. When he arrived in Collins everyone was gone.

Uriel never flattened the cities. It was why Samuel had not suspected him of Jerusalem. Uriel preferred to leave behind the shell that humans had once inhabited. Samuel could have checked every location within the city and he would not have found a trace of the bodies. They were gone. As gone as they could be.

The Souls were another story.

If he chose to do so, which he did, he saw that several Reapers were moving through the city, their Graces flickering beneath their vessels restlessly. One of his sisters materialized in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes, "Thanks for this, Samuel. Did you have to piss off Uriel?"

"What are you talking about?" He questioned Tessa uncertainly.

"This city had a few hours left. Do you realize how much more work we're having to put in? First Jerusalem and now _this_? We _aren't_ unlimited, Samuel. There is an order-" She stopped and squinted at him, tilting her head and sighing softly, "You didn't. A human banished you. Uriel is throwing the blame on you, brother. He told us you provoked him because of your Soul," Well that was true but he had no intentions of bringing that to light. What he had done before had been a risk. If he was not careful, he could be seen as one of Lucifer's angels and he was not ready to turn on his brothers and sisters. Despite his moments of weakness, Heaven was still the better option. "Your Soul is not here by the way. He was not here when we arrived nor was his tainted brother."

That was all he needed to hear. He reached out to find Gabriel only… try as he might he could not find him. His Grace jerked when he searched across the planet and found _nothing_. No sign.

This was not good. If his Soul was not on Earth…

' _Samuel.'_ Zachariah's bitter voice barely pierced his panic.

 _No. This cannot happen. Not yet. Not now._

' _You are to return to Heaven immediately.'_

He _could not._ Not when…

An angel was supposed to know when their Soul dies. Which meant that Gabriel _couldn't_ be dead. But if he was not dead then _where_ was he?

' _Samuel!'_ He launched himself to Heaven purely to shut Zachariah up.

There had to be an explanation. If he was not anywhere on Earth perhaps…

When he arrived in Heaven he was met with the sight of Zachariah, Hannah, and Uriel. Hannah had a tired look on her Vessel's face whereas Zachariah looked ready to kill him. Uriel had a look that was unreadable but a taunting victory was radiating from beneath his Vessel in his Grace. Yes, Uriel had always been unpleasant, but this was something else entirely.

"Do you wish to explain?" Zachariah asked bitterly.

"What is there to explain? We were banished. I did nothing, brother." Samuel responded irritably, glaring at Uriel. He did not have _time_ for this. Gabriel was _missing_.

"Nothing, Samuel? Nothing at all."

Samuel glared at Uriel, his wings bristling beneath his Vessel. "I simply told you the truth. The brothers were handling the Seal. You did _not_ need to destroy that town. I would have explained that if you had not acted so rashly." He turned his gaze to Hannah, pointedly avoiding addressing Zachariah. "Sister, I understand this is important. I am asking you, Gabriel is missing. Please."

"This-" Zachariah started before Hannah cut him off.

"This can wait, Zachariah." The two Seraphs turned to meet each other's gazes. Both angels flickering power, "I am sure you remember Huldah, brother. Remember her and tell him 'no'."

None of them had been prepared when Zachariah's smoky grey wings shot out of his Vessel and he launched himself at Hannah, shouting about her bringing his Soul into this.

Both Uriel and Samuel fell back and scrambled away. Uriel took flight and fled as Hannah shifted under her brother's weight, barely dodging as he brought his blade for her throat. Hannah's wings tore out of her Vessel and she used them to shield herself as Zachariah tried to bring his blade down on her again, cutting into one of the six beautiful pale blue wings and drawing that golden blood that Samuel had only seen in the dark spot in Heaven. It was all he could do to stay and watch in horror as she defended against Zachariah's strikes.

Every ounce of him was screaming to _run_. He could not go. This was being caused by him. If Hannah lost…

The only thing more terrifying than watching two Seraphs battle was watching two Archangels. This was all worse, worse because Hannah was not fighting back, this wasn't a battle, it was a prolonged assassination. She was only defending against Zachariah's onslaught of blind rage filled attacks. He managed to cut into another of her wings and she let out a strangled cry as he cut through bone and muscle and ripped _downward_.

Samuel was moving before he realized what was happening, his blade in hand as he launched himself at his brother's unprotected back.

His blade sunk into the center of Zachariah's Vessel before he realized what he was doing. It dove right into his brother's Grace.

A scream tore through Heaven as his brother collapsed, his Grace exploding from within his Vessel.

What had he done?

Hannah staring at him with wide, tear filled eyes. Her destroyed wing bleeding that golden blood.

He had made a mistake. Such a grave terrible mistake.

' _Zachariah is dead!'_ Panicked voices rang through Heaven.

Samuel had made a mistake. Such a terrible, horrible mistake.

"Leave, Samuel. Leave, now. Find your Soul. I will take the blame." She summoned her blade and offered it to him.

A Seraph could kill another Seraph without too much of a consequence.

He had killed a Seraph. He had killed another of his brothers.

 _"_ _Samuel._ _"_ He took the offered blade and flew, vessel's heart pounding in his ears.

' _Zachariah is dead.'_

He had killed Zachariah.

' _Hannah killed him.'_ More whispers.

He had killed his brother, for what? What had been the purpose?

 _'She did it for Lucifer. Had to be for Lucifer.'_

He had to find him. _Gabriel._ He had to find his Soul.

If anyone found out it had been him who had killed Zachariah…

' _Hannah, you have taken my kill from me. I would thank you, sister, but that would imply I was grateful. You have made me a liar. You have made me break a promise.'_ Lucifer's voice rang across Heaven, of course why he would reveal this simply did not make sense. Would it not have been wise to let them to continue believing she had done it for Lucifer? If Heaven was against her she would be more likely to join him. _'Hannah, should I see you when I am free…well let us hope that does not happen. I will not allow you to join me. Stay with Heaven. When the day comes and I destroy Michael, you will not be allowed to join your Soul. Every other angel who lays their blade down for me will be welcome into their Soul's Heaven. All but you, Hannah. For you made me a liar.'_

Samuel forced his brother's voice out of the front of his mind as he began his search.


	8. 7: Pain is Different

**WARNING: This chapter covers some dark things. A couple brief flashbacks of Hell that aren't really graphic then some skimming over a really messy crime scene.**

Gabriel fought against the hands gripping his shoulders, shouting incoherently. _No._ He was _free._ He was _out._ Even as he told himself that a terrible sinking sensation pitted in his stomach. _You can't be out._ Something told him, that same voice that had told him he would never be free. He would suffer until he lifted that blade.

" _Did you really think you would be freed by an_ angel _? Come now, Gabriel. You aren't that naïve."_

 _Pressure on his chest, heavy pressure. Suffocating. Suffocating until there was no air. Suffocating until that final moment. The moment where there was nothing left. No oxygen. Acceptance. Then freedom, a breath of fresh_ air _. Icy, fresh,_ oxygen _. Gratitude. Grateful for it. Grateful to breathe._

" _Thank you, Alistair. Please. Not again."_ _Then it began again..._

"Gabriel!" He jerked against the sudden sharp pain as _someone_ slapped him and _that_. That was _different_. Different than the suffocating. His eyes flew open and he was staring into vaguely familiar pale blue eyes, the pressure on his chest different. A human weight. Straddling. She was straddling his chest. Staring down at him. "Swear to God, Castiel if ya touch me again I'll slit yer throat. I'm helpin' yer God forsaken brother. Now shut up fer ten seconds!" He barely registered those words, staring helplessly into those eyes. Trying to focus on the residual pain from that slap.

" _You aren't free. Never were._ " Alistair kept telling him he wasn't free. That he was still on the rack. That it was time to wake up. Time to suffer a new pain.

Hands tangled in his hair and she dug sharp nails into his scalp and _fuck_ , he jerked against it. There was no way that it didn't draw blood. It helped. It helped so _damned_ much. That was _real._ That pain was _real._ "Nex, shut 'im up. Don't ya dare kill 'im." She never stopped staring into his eyes, her grip tightening in a way that hurt so _damned_ much. But it was working. _This_ was real. The voice that belonged to Alistair that told him otherwise was _wrong_. He had been freed. _Sam_ had saved him "Gabriel, are ya wit' me? I'm sorry. I really am. That town was 'bout t' be wiped out. Focus on me. We're in Hell, but, Gabriel. You're safe. I swear on everythin' that you're safe. I didn' have any other way."

He shuddered out a sob as he pushed into a sitting position, her falling into his lap. The girl wrapped her arms around him, letting go of her grip in his hair and letting him bury his face in her shoulder. This was all kinds of screwed up, he didn't know her. They knew nothing about her. Hell, she'd just drug him _to_ Hell like some glorified hellhound and yet her too tight grip on him was keeping him from falling apart. _Hell._ They were in _Hell._ It took him several minutes to regain his grip on reality. This was real. He was alive. In Hell, which he would absolutely get an explanation for later, but alive. He was alive.

"Ya know, your brother migh' be pretty enou' t' turn me straight." She joked as he finally regained his bearing, prying away from her and watching the short girl with unease as she slipped from his lap, scooting back.

 _Hell. What the hell were they doing in Hell?_

"I know you've got a lotta questions." She stated uneasily, a figure moved behind her but he paid no mind to it. When she rose to her feet he followed suit.

" _A lot of questions?_ " He laughed, a broken sound, his hand tightening into a fist at his side. He'd never punched a human woman. Generally, he didn't punch humans in general, but he was furious. _Hell_. This damned hunter had brought them to _Hell._ The last place he had _ever_ wanted to step foot again. Alistair's voice came back, taunting him and telling him that this wasn't real.

" _Time to wake up, Gabriel. We're going to have some more fun."_

" _Gabriel._ " He jerked out of his thoughts when the girl snapped his name, "It ain't easy. It'll get better. 'specially once you're outta here. We'll talk and I'll explain."

He took a shuddering breath, finally taking in his surroundings. It was Hell. This was a different area of Hell, he'd never seen past the racks, something he was grateful for. This was a large room with pillared walls and a vaulted ceiling. There was a body slumped against the concrete near, what could only be described as, a throne. A throne made of bones and skulls and… _faces._ He swallowed the sickening feeling in his stomach as his eyes raked across a child no older than eight with black hair, pale skin, and white eyes.

 _White eyes._

"Gabriel." Dalara stepped in between him and the girl, "Focus."

He tried. He tried so damned hard. All he could think of was _Alistair._ _White eyes staring through him, a satisfied smile on the broken form. "Good job, Gabriel." His voice was smooth, casual, "Again. Start at the-"_

" _Gabriel._ " A hand fisted in his shirt and jerked him down so that he was level with the girl's face.

" _Good job, Gabriel. You are-_ "

A mouth was on his and something told him how _wrong_ that was, nausea and disgust twisted in his gut and he focused on the feeling of it all, letting it draw him back, the sharp pain as she bit his lip, _hard_. He jerked away and felt blood trickling down his chin.

" _Never_ doin' that again." He focused on the throbbing pain in his lip, there was a dazed look in her expression that mirrored his own disgust. _Come on, Gabriel. Focus. You can do this. Push them down. Push them away._ "Focus on the pain, Gabriel. Focus on that. It's real. This is real."

He listened, he focused on that pain and drew himself out of his thoughts.

 _A body lying on the ground._

"Cas!" He shouted as realization hit him. He was moving and by his brother's unconscious, _just unconscious and not dead_ , body. His brother was unconscious. He checked his pulse just to be sure before jerking his head towards where the child demon had been standing.

Dalara was there, standing between him and her, watching him with unease. "He's asleep. Tried t' stab me while I was pullin' you outta the memories. Don' worry. He'll wake up in a few minutes."

"Explain." He got out through gritted teeth.

The red-haired girl swallowed heavily, moving to the side and exposing the child demon who smiled sweetly, "Hello, Gabriel. Welcome back to Hell. My name is Nex."

"Cut the niceties." He glared at the girl, not trusting either of them. Not by a long shot. He remembered the name Nex and Dalara had called her The Hell Queen.

"So ungrateful." She clicked her tongue, moving past the other hunter. "After all, Dally here had absolutely no reason to save your pathetic lives."

"Save us from _what_?"

"That angel of course, Uriel." Flashes of that encounter flew through his head at the mention of the name, it felt like it had been _decades_ , and… how long had they been there? _Sam._ "The angels will do anything to stop their brother from breaking free. Even kill a couple thousand humans. Granted I would've done the same but," She motioned to her eyes, "Demon, I have absolutely no morals."

Wait, this demon didn't want Lucifer free? "But-"

"Despite what basically everything thinks, not all demons benefit from the rise of our father. Especially me. You see, I was created shortly after our father was locked up, the little Messenger of God came to me and told me because of my crimes as a human, I would suffer until Lucifer was free as The Hell Queen. I am to rule Hell in our father's absence. Which is fine. I enjoy myself. The problem is, once Lucifer returns, I'm sitting in his seat. I have no doubt that he'll kill me once he's free and I happen to _like_ living. If I'd caught wind of what would happen because of you, I would've stolen you out from under Alistair's nose."

Dalara winced in the same moment that he did, her hand coming to the wound he had seen her bleeding from in the hotel before and pushing in on it, causing blood to trickle from her fingers.

 _Causing herself pain._

 _Wait._

"What's the deal with you and _her._ " He jerked his head in the direction of Dalara and Nex smiled in a way that sent chills running down Gabriel's spine.

"We're companions. If she wouldn't stab me for it, I'd potentially call us friends. I pulled her off of the rack after she'd been on it for twelve hundred years. Ten years Earth time. We made a deal." _On the rack for twelve hundred Hell years. How the_ hell _did she survive twelve hundred years of torture at Alistair's hands?_ "The deal was I'd return her to life, in exchange, she would help me out. Nothing too nasty. She'd do her Hunter thing with inside information on certain messes. Considering she worked with witches before her tragic death it worked rather well. Everything she does for me, I pay her for. Now she's helping me with preventing the rise of our father. I can't lift a finger against it publicly because of who I'm standing against. I don't trust demons, who better to trust than the Hunter who has been doing my work for years?"

"So you went to hell?" He looked at Dalara and understood now how she knew what to do to help him. She was struggling with reality too.

"'nfortunately. Workin' with witches 'pparently buys ya a one-way ticket no matter how much good ya do. Hell wakes up terror. It's worse fer those who've been on the racks. Real pain's different."

"The kiss?" It lacked the teasing he tried to put into it. There was something about that kiss that had bothered him from the start.

She cracked a smile, "Lips're sensitive, sweetheart. Never gonna do it again. You needed i'."

He looked back down at Cas as he began to shift, the first signs of waking up. "So you're a demon's pet then, Dalara? You use spells and magic, what makes you good?"

The smile vanished and a dark look crossed her expression, "There it is. Gabriel, you've got no idea what you're talkin' about. I'm on the fuckin' run from the police 'cause of a Hunter by the name o' Travis decided it'd be wise to call the cops while I was takin' down a vamp nest. I'm no' gonna said I'm a good guy. But none o' us can say that. 'specially you. I know what ya did down here, Gabe." He winced and focused on the residual throbbing pain in his lip as she jerked around and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Yer welcome." She stormed away towards one of the walls and… went through it?

"Don't mind her." Nex waved it off, watching the other girl leave before looking back at the brothers. "She gets that way when she fails in a hunt. Angels dealt with it, what's done is done. I'll hand her a new Seal and she'll be back to doing what she does best."

"I'd say you're heartless but you're a demon."

Nex smiled sweetly, "Also, don't bother lecturing me about my Vessel. I only possess the most corrupt of the youth. You'd be amazed what kind of dark ideas this sweet little girl came up with. Almost put Alistair to shame."

Gabriel didn't want to know. He'd seen enough souls in his time torturing that he knew how corrupt some people were, no matter the age.

"Take these." She waved her hand and two hex coins appeared on Cas' chest, "They'll hide you from basically anything up to God Himself." She considered for a moment, eying Cas, "Most anything. He's got a tie on him. Bound to a god. Which actually is useful."

"What about it is useful?" He asked as he took the coins and shifted to pocket them.

"Well, we have a bit of a dilemma. I can't be seen with you without raising alarm, which means no leaving this room, and the sigils that'll let us transport you topside require more blood than you'd be able to use." She knelt down in front of him and he made a point of pulling his slowly waking brother closer. "Oh, relax. If I wanted you to hurt I'd call in my puppies." He bit down on the wound on his lip and focused on that pain as Alistair's voice started manifesting in the back of his mind again. "Whichever god this belongs to, he's gonna be pissed."

She reached out with a hand a grabbed onto something invisible in the air above Cas. The moment her fingers closed around- something Cas jerked upright and let out an inhuman scream. A scream so terrible all Gabriel could do was cover his ears and hope they didn't start bleeding. The ground beneath them rattled and Dean appeared behind Nex, grabbing her by her hair and jerking her upright, the demon laughed darkly and jerked against the god's hold.

"You don't seem to realize _where_ you are, _god_." She spat, a second later Dean dropped her and jerked his head around before dropping his attention on the brothers. Nex caught herself and eyed the god with the interest of a child that could almost make him forget the truth about her. Gabriel could hear that Cas was breathing heavily and he peeled his gaze away from the two beings to eye his brother warily.

"You two are not worth the effort." Dean shook his head, "Not by a longshot. Take them, Hell Queen."

"Nice try. I can see _who_ you are." Both brothers turned to see Dean watching the white-eyed demon looking the god over with a smirk manifesting on her face, Dean was guarded in both his expression and demeanor. "Green as your vessel's eyes." The god bristled, hand tightening into a fist. It was strange to watch, actually, strange was a bad word, unsettling. Whatever she was saying under her words had Dean on edge. "Take them and leave. Your secret is safe with me. Swear on my status as Queen. I have bigger problems to deal with than a single god."

"I'm going to talk to you later, Nex." Dean stated warningly before snapping his fingers.

This was much smoother, more familiar, than the sigil Dalara had used to transport them. They arrived on a familiar porch. _Bobby's_. Cas was sitting on the step next to him, quiet. Dean was standing across from them with his arms crossed over his chest.

The salvage yard was so damned familiar and Gabriel had never been so _grateful_ for the air. The _warmth._ Sure, waking up in his grave had been disorienting as all hell and more than a bit terrifying, but at that time he'd thought it might be more torture. The suffocating cold from Hell this time around had been worse. Worse because he had been _alive_. The human body _felt_ differently than the soul. It was why the pain had helped.

"I've got to say, Gabriel. Never thought I'd see you covered in that much blood unless it was at the hands of a monster. Or one of your late night sexcapades."

He frowned, reaching around and feeling the back of his scalp where, sure enough, there was still blood from where Dalara had cut into the skin with her nails. He licked his lip and there was still blood there too.

"Hell can be a pain in the ass." Dean moved and knelt in front of Cas, completely cutting Gabriel out of his attention. "You alright, man?"

"I'm fine, Dean." Cas stated blandly.

"Because everyone is always fine after a trip to Hell. Try again." Gabriel couldn't help rolling his eyes, right, Dean didn't care about Cas in the least.

Instead of listening to Dean and Cas he pushed to his feet and headed away from the house through the rows of cars until he was a safe enough distance that he could still see the house but not be heard. He cleared his throat and looked around, feeling more uncomfortable than he ever had in his life. If Dean had lied to him, well, then he was the idiot that had listened to the god for advice on angels.

Awkwardly he clasped his hands together in front of him and shut his eyes, bowing his head, "Dear… Sam? Um, Samuel. I don't know if you can hear me or how this prayer thing works and I feel like a complete idiot… but… I'm in Sioux Falls, South Dakota… I don't know how direct you need but-" The telltale flutter of wings cut him off and when he opened his eyes an extremely disheveled Sam stood there. He was covered in a golden substance that had looked eerily like blood. _Golden blood?_

When he opened his mouth to say something more he was stopped by the angel taking two steps forward and wrapping his arms around him, a shudder tearing through his body as he hugged Gabriel. And, _woah_. Wait a minute? Sam was _hugging_ him?

"Where _were_ you?" The angel demanded and Gabriel was at a loss for words. Sam sounded different, fearful, panicked. Real, raw emotion that Gabriel didn't think the angel would be capable of. He felt a faint prickling across where he'd been injured and something told him the angel had healed the wounds.

 _How long had they been in Hell?_

"You vanished and…" The angel trailed off and let go, taking a step back and eying him with unease. "Gabriel, what happened?"

He gave a brief summary of the events that had transpired after the angels had been, as he'd been corrected to, banished.

"I am sorry, Gabriel. You should not have had to go through that." Sam looked past him before returning his gaze to Gabriel's.

"It's not your fault." He heard himself saying though he wasn't really focused on the conversation. He was searching the angel's expression. There was _something_ there. Something Gabriel couldn't for the life of him place.

"Sam, what the hell?" Gabriel jerked at Dean's voice coming from behind him, sounding baffled. _Dammit, Dean._

Sam blinked, looking down at himself. "I-"

"That's _angel blood._ " Now Dean sounded… angry? Was that anger?

Sam stiffened slightly, his expression becoming guarded, "How do you know that?"

Silence, Gabriel turned to see Dean staring at Sam with a hard, unreadable expression. "It doesn't matter, Sam." Then Dean was gone and Cas was staring at them from the porch.

"Dean!" Sam shouted and the sound of wings fluttering filled the air.

 _Dammit._

He jerked around and sure enough, Sam was gone.

This was exhausting. There was too much happening, too many questions rising and not enough being answered.

 _Life used to be so much easier._ Part of him reminded him and he snorted.

 _Guess that's what I get for selling my soul._ He told himself bitterly as he made his way back towards the house, just in time to see the front door open.

 _Oh boy._

.-~*~-.

"You started the damned _Apocalypse_ and didn't think to call me? Gabriel, out of all the _irresponsible_ crap you've pulled." They were in the living room, Gabriel stretched out on the couch with his arm thrown over his face so he didn't have to see what look his adoptive father was giving him. Cas had made a point of going to the kitchen to avoid being involved. Not that that stopped Bobby, "And _you_ , Castiel! Get in here!" There was a muffled sound of something moving before Gabriel caught the sound of Cas' feet hitting the floor. He could imagine his brother's head down with his hands shoved in his pockets. "I should throttle the both of you! _Neither of you_ considered that this _might_ be important."

"I'm-"

"I'm not _finished,_ Gabriel. I've got hunters callin' left and right about missing people, towns getting wiped off the map, and you didn't consider that _maybe_ this was important information?"

"We knew it was important." Cas spoke quietly, sounding closer than he had expected. When Gabriel removed his arm from his eyes it was to see Cas sitting on the coffee table next to him. "Bobby, it was Gabe breaking that started it. I know you are like our father but you have to understand, if the wrong person heard what happened… We couldn't risk that."

Gabriel wasn't sure what Bobby would say to the excuse, to be honest Gabriel hadn't told Bobby because he didn't think about it. Big world issues never really fell on them, he'd figured another hunter would catch wind and the information would go out. But he wouldn't argue Cas if it got them out of trouble.

"Next time, and by God there better not be a next time, the first thing you do is come to me. I don't care if you tell me you caused the _moon_ to fall out of the sky. First thing you do is _call me._ Understand?"

"Yes, Bobby." They both said at the same time, quietly, shamefully.

"Now, you said someone drug you down into the pit before Collins got wiped out."

"It wasn't just someone. It was Dalara."

Gabriel still had no idea who she was other than what Nex and her had revealed to him. An ex-Hell victim that was obviously very sketchy in her behavior. In the mess that had followed Gabriel had completely forgotten that Cas had recognized her right off the bat.

"Of course it was."

Gabriel pushed up into a sitting position, looking over at Bobby to see an annoyed expression on his face. "She didn't seem half bad." _She kept me from breaking down and losing myself when I was in Hell._ If he could avoid it, he wouldn't bring up what had happened. Not all of the details.

"She's bad news, boy. Don't think she isn't."

"What did she do?" He clearly remembered the girl's words. What Travis had done to her, how before she'd died she'd worked with witches and that she was currently working for the Queen of Hell. She hadn't lied about anything. Unless she had kept something. What would she have to gain from it though? Especially if Bobby knew who she was.

"It'd do you some good to listen when I'm talkin'. She's made a name for herself in all the wrong ways. When she climbed out of Hell she was given the benefit of the doubt. I'd known her the first time around. She was a sketchy hunter back then, it was a well-known fact she was hunting using magic, but she got her job done. Cleanly. I checked into her witches myself. They weren't hurting people. When she came back, she wouldn't tell anyone _how_ she came back."

" _I pulled her off the rack after she'd been on it for twelve hundred years. Ten years Earth time. We made a deal."_ Nex's voice rang through his head.

"I did every test in the book on her myself. She was human. Not a demon or anything playing as one. So things went on. While everyone had to wonder most no one questioned too much on the matter. Until I started getting calls from hunters. Hunters that encountered her then blacked out or got hurt while on hunts after seeing her. Then nothing. No one saw her or heard anything until about four years ago when Travis called me up and told me he got her arrested. Few weeks later saw a news report that she'd vanished from the jail and she was wanted for a lot of nasty things, not all of it things that hunters would be wanted for."

"She told me she'd been hunting vamps when he called the cops on her."

"Did she tell you what she'd done? She hadn't just killed those vamps, boy." Bobby eyed him for a moment before leaving the room. When he looked at Cas he was met with a questioning look. He really didn't want to explain this. Instead he grabbed a random book from the table, _Of course it's in Latin,_ and stared at it as though he was reading until Bobby returned a few minutes later with a folder. He dropped it on the book in front of him and something told him he didn't want to look. "I'd have probably killed her. A normal human doesn't do stuff like that."

Gabriel swallowed heavily before peeling back the cover of the folder.

Once upon a time the sight might've made him physically ill. The crime scene photos were a bit foggy, taken at bad angles. The sight was enough. There was blood everywhere, blood and so much more. He shut it before he could take in too much. He'd seen this. He knew what it was. Vivid flashbacks of tearing souls apart, flaying them and dismembering them, he'd seen that before because he'd done it before.

He bit down into the side of his cheek hard enough to draw blood and let out a shuddering breath.

Hell had destroyed her. Twelve hundred years in the pit would destroy anyone, but she hadn't harmed a human. Those had been _vampires_.

With little care Gabriel tossed the folder aside, "She tortured some vamps. Bobby, I did worse down in Hell. I went through worse." He stared at the cover of the folder, not meeting either of their gazes. "I'm not going to talk about it. There's more to your story."

Several long moments then Bobby continued, "About a year ago I got a call from Will, he had her trapped in a Devil's Trap." _She's human. Bobby said it himself._ "At first he thought she was possessed but he couldn't exorcise her. None of it made sense. That was why he called me. While I was on the phone with him she started talking. Told him that if he didn't let her out she would be forced to call the Hell Queen. I'm not sayin' Will was the brightest. He told her to do it. After that things got confusing. I heard everything. Apparently, this demon had pulled her off the racks. When the demon gave Dalara a choice between killing Will and letting him go she killed him. Actually, killed's a nice word. I drove out there myself and she'd pulled him apart like those vamps. She's bad news, boy. You see her again, get the hell outta dodge. I'd say kill her but she's got The Queen of Hell on a leash."

 _There's always more to a story._ Something told him, there had to be more.

He wasn't sure whether he was grateful or irritated when Dean appeared on the floor with a blade that looked eerily similar to Sam's in his shoulder, a dark look on his face. "Call off your angel before I have to do something I'll regret, Gabriel." He warned as he ripped the blade from his shoulder, a bright light coming from the wound following the movement before it healed over. He stepped back as Sam appeared in front of him.

"You _cannot_ know that, Dean. No one but an angel can know that." Gabriel was on his feet and pushing around the table where Cas was scrambling off and to his feet.

"Lucky me I know other angels." Dean held Sam's blade in front of him defensively, eying the angel warily. "Back. Off." He warned.

Gabriel grabbed Sam's arm as he stepped forward. "Sam, stop. Leave him alone."

"You should listen to your Soul, Sammy."

The angel flinched at the word "soul". What was he talking about?

"You are not a god, Dean. There's more than that. Who _are_ you?"

Dean stared at Sam for several long moments, the air around them crackling with energy. It told Gabriel to _run_. _Get away._ The room flared and the lights began to flicker as _something_ changed. The room heated and Gabriel stumbled back as Sam pushed him, acting as a physical wall.

That same light, the same light that had come from beneath Samuel when he showed himself to them. The white glow in Dean's eyes.

It was different. When Samuel had shown them the truth of who he was, the wall of the warehouse had possessed plenty of space to let him show his wings. Bobby's wall hardly had the space for the overlapping distinct shadows of six wing sets, twelve total wings, materialized behind Dean. The room rattled and there was the faint sound of dishes shattering in the kitchen.

Sam sank down in front of him, as though he could make himself smaller. _Dean is an_ angel? _What the_ hell _?_

Dean blinked rapidly, the light fading away and his shadow wings fading to nothing. "Happy, Sam?" His tone was dark.

"De-" With a look from Dean that told him not to say the name, Sam trailed off. "You _left_ us. We thought you were _dead_."

Dean… _Debriel?_ The other man… the archangel's gaze jerked to him when the name rang through his head and Gabriel flinched. "Keep that name quiet. I mean it, Gabriel. If the wrong person hears I'm going to have a problem." His gaze returned to his brother, "I did leave. I left because Dad was gone and I had no reason to stay. Elizabeth was dead and despite how much I loved all of my brothers, I couldn't deal with it. I was tired, Sam. I was so damned tired. So I left. I left and never looked back. I was fine, I was alright. Until these two summoned me and I _knew_. I knew the moment I saw that tainted Soul that everything was about to go to hell. So, I did what I could. I tried to prolong it. I bound his Soul to my stolen god power but it didn't _matter_ because _you_ decided to play the hero." His gaze jerked to Gabriel and he couldn't help but cower under the weight of his gaze. " _Two hours_ , Gabriel. Did that _not_ strike you as suspicious? Did you not stop to think for _ten seconds_ that _maybe_ something was wrong?"

He opened his mouth to defend himself, because at the time he hadn't _cared_.

"No, Gabriel. You don't get to give some piece of shit story. I'm not going to listen to whatever crap excuses. I know the routine. You made a stupid choice because you didn't care about the consequences. All that mattered was doing the last good thing you could." Dean looked back at Sam, "Remember Samael? The first angel born since I left. Pain in the ass Archangel whose getting under Raphael's skin. Well, his lack of. It's both of our faults that he was born. I made a trip to Heaven to visit The Graveyard. I do it every single year. I make sure no one is around, then I visit and I mourn them. I was forced to rush away by you." He snapped his fingers and a small glowing feather that hurt to look at appeared between his fingers. The feather was the same color as Dean's eyes, glowing brightly. "I didn't realize I'd left something behind. But you did. You carried this around Heaven."

" _Green as your Vessel's eyes."_ Nex had told him. She'd figured it out. His _wings_.

"Now, Sammy. You're going to explain why you killed Zach and let Hannah take the blame."

"I didn't-"

"Yes, you did. I'd actually be proud if the blame hadn't been dropped on Hannah."

"He was going to kill her. I saved her life. She chose to take the blame."

Dean finally lowered the blade he'd been holding, flipping it over and offering the handle to Sam. "Try to use that on me again and I won't go easy on you."

"Would never expect you to." Was Sam's response as he took the blade.

Sam turned to face the group, gaze flicking across them uneasily before he disappeared.

No one said anything at first, Gabriel wasn't sure what _to_ say. This entire thing… it was so freaking insane.

It was Bobby who finally spoke up, "Dean, you are going to go in my kitchen and you are goin' to clean up the mess you made."

Dean cracked a smile, uncomfortable was an understatement to how the apparent archangel looked as he pushed past Gabriel towards to kitchen.

"And no magic." Bobby warned, "You know the rule about magic in my house."

"Yeah, I know. Only one who can do it is you. I've got it."

Gabriel wasted no time in heading for the front door, "Gabe, we aren't done talking."

"Yes we are, Cas. I need air."

"He's going to call Sam and ask for clarification on what being an angel's Soul means." Dean supplied from kitchen and Gabriel didn't bother responding to it as he headed out the door.


	9. 8: Moral Dilemmas

When Gabriel stepped outside it was to find, a now clean, Sam standing on the porch staring out over the cars, his entire body slouched in as though he was making himself smaller. _As if that's possible._ He thought absently to himself as he listened to the door click shut behind him.

Despite his conviction from ten seconds ago, in truth, he wasn't ready to confront Sam. Well, he was, but he wasn't going to push the subject with his angel. _The_ angel. _Dammit._ Sam. It was Sam.

Without saying a word, he wrapped a hand around Sam's wrist and pulled, earning a startled jump. Sam didn't question it, allowing the smaller man to pull him along which Gabriel was more than thankful for.

He couldn't begin to imagine that kind of bombshell. He clearly remembered listening to Sam talk about Debriel, his older brother who had cared. The one who had raised and trained him. While Gabriel didn't have an older sibling, well unless he hadn't been the first baby to pop out of his whore of a mom, he was an older sibling and he'd half raised Cas despite the fact that he hadn't wanted to do it.

They walked towards where Gabriel knew Bobby kept the working cars, not pausing as he opened the passenger door to the first vehicle he saw and releasing Sam. Without a word he moved around to the driver's side and, thankfully, saw the keys resting in the ignition. As he slipped into the driver's seat he glanced over to see Sam already in the passenger seat.

 _Alright, Gabe. Think before you talk here._ He lectured himself internally as he started the truck up and pulled out of and away from the lot. Sam stared silently out the window and Gabriel had to wonder what it was like for an angel, obviously cut off from human culture, to be riding in a car.

He didn't pry. He just flipped the radio on at a very low level and watched the road absently as Simon and Garfunkel's _The Sound of Silence_ came over the radio.

 _Too quiet_ , he thought uneasily as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, ADHD kicking in, even if he didn't actually have the disorder.

"Sam?" He finally broke the silence, anything, anything to free him from the deafening silence. He'd planned to wait for them to be at the diner he was going towards. The silence was killing him, the stupid song making it worse.

"Yes, Gabriel?" Sam asked, shifting slightly in his peripheral vision.

 _Don't ask about being his soul._ He didn't. That could wait, well it couldn't, but it would, "Your brother. How are you handling that?"

No response. Not at first. … _Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you._

"I'm unsure." Gabriel bit back a remark because the angel had actually said ' _I'm'_ , now wasn't the time for that. "It is…we thought he was dead, or worse. Instead he has just been… here. On Earth, doing whatever he wished without any consequences… masquerading as a _god_ of all things. Lucifer Fell for defying what our Father said and he just…" Sam trailed off, "It seems almost, unfair."

"The world isn't fair, Sammy." _Think before you speak, Gabriel._ He lectured himself immediately after the words slipped.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sam smiled, a slight faint action. Still there all the same. He was thinking over what Sam had said, about Debriel, about the brothers and sisters that had joined Lucifer.

"I have a question, Sam."

"I will always answer your questions. You do not need to address it each time you ask." He tried hard not to overthink that response and the minorly discomforting vibe it came with.

"You said that your brothers and sisters have been joining Lucifer," Sam stiffened slightly, "If they're joining Lucifer, isn't that similar to what De-…he did? Choosing their own path. You haven't said any of them have fallen."

Sam frowned out of the corner of his eye, consideration on his expression until… "What they are doing… it is different. They aren't Falling because… an angel must do something truly unforgiveable to Fall. Lucifer Fell because he destroyed Lilith. Twisted and corrupted her Soul until there was nothing human left. Just because an angel chooses to side against Heaven… it does not make us Fall." Sam looked considerate of his own words. As though he had never seen it that way, "To Fall an angel has to do something truly evil or rip their Grace out. The reason I am conflicted about Dean is this; he has been here for a very long time. Currently, he is masquerading as a god. A Pagan god at that. His binding of your brother is not a fully consensual connection, no matter if your brother loves him or not. The Earth gods are cruel and corrupt beings, what he would have done to hold his status as a god. It leaves the question of just how much damage an Archangel must do to Fall. Any lower angel will Fall simply from intentionally killing a single human without an order to do so. If my suspicions about my brother are right, how is that fair to us?"

Gabriel didn't respond to that, unsure of how to answer. He was right. It wasn't fair to them. Sam was right and Dean was the corrupt god that he suspected, though Gabriel wouldn't break the news to him. Why was it fair that an archangel could do basically anything it pleased with little to no consequence?

They drove for a while like that until they finally pulled into town, Gabriel made a beeline for the diner, grateful for the new distraction. Once he had parked Gabriel had guided Sam out of the car and into the restaurant, quietly greeting Sherriff Mills as she ate with her son and husband.

Gabriel sat down at the table with Sam and watched the angel, thoughtfully. When the waitress brought by their menus Gabriel offered a half-hearted "thanks" and ordered them drinks, getting Sam a water while he ordered himself a chocolate milkshake. Gabriel watched as Sam curiously eyed the menu as though it was a foreign object. For him, it probably was.

"Sam." The angel lifted his gaze from the menu, dread buried deep in the angel's expression. Gabriel couldn't form the words. The question wouldn't escape him.

"You wish to know what it means for you to be my Soul."

Gabriel nodded, unsure of what he'd say if he opened his mouth. It could mean anything, a hundred different things. The fact that Sam had avoided telling him made Gabriel dread it. How bad was it?

Sam looked down at the table, "Every angel in existence has one thing in common. Each and every one of us has a single human Soul. When our Father created humanity, it was to bind the divine with the imperfect. Every angel has one Soul. This Soul, it is beautiful, it gives us power. It changes who we were and it eventually tears apart. When I was sent to Hell, it was to retrieve The Righteous Man. No one had known the truth. If we had known that you were my Soul I would not have been sent. We very well may not have retrieved you at all. A Soul that belongs to an angel is not meant to be revived. Lucifer's first step to his Fall was caused by him disobeying Father and reviving his Soul."

Gabriel listened in silence, watching Sam while keeping his expression carefully blank. There was still more. He could not jump in until he heard all of it. There had to be a reason Sam had kept it from him.

"The first moment I saw you in Hell, tearing apart that Soul, I knew. Who and what you were to me was clear as Heaven's skies. I had never felt so alive. When I attempted to take you from Hell I was bound by a rule. I could not remove you from Hell without consent." Gabriel didn't remember any of this, he had tried so damned hard to remember when he had been saved but the memories wouldn't come to him. Now he was hearing the truth and his stomach twisted painfully. "I restrained you as you fought against me. At the time my reason for insistence was selfish, I will admit to it. I needed you to consent to me removing you from Hell. I had to have you do it or I would have been lost. When an angel finds their Soul it is… there are not easy words to describe it. Normally, an angel has decades to spend with their Soul before its eventual demise. I found you dead. I would not have any time to prepare for the loss unless I convinced you. You fought so hard against me and…" He trailed off.

Gabriel looked over as the waitress returned with their drinks, setting them in front of them and asking what they wanted to eat, he glanced over, surprised when Sam ordered himself a salad. Gabriel wasn't really hungry… no that wasn't the case, he was starving, he just didn't think he could eat. Either way he ordered something, pointing at the menu without actually looking. The waitress gave him a strange look as she collected the menus and left them alone again.

"Finally, you said 'yes'. I brought you to Earth and repaired your Ve… body. I did not want to leave. I had no choice. After what Lucifer did all those years ago the orders were changed. It is no longer the Soul that is supposed to matter more than anything. Heaven is priority, no matter what, Heaven comes first."

"Why would you put your soul before Heaven to begin with?" Sam looked out the window, silent for a moment. Gabriel had a vague understanding that whatever being Sam's Soul meant something more than what he'd revealed. He'd mentioned power but it still didn't make sense. Gabriel was clearly missing a huge piece of information and Sam obviously didn't seem inclined to bring it up.

"When the Souls were originally created for angels, we were told to love them more than anything. More than Heaven and more than God. Our Souls were created for us to love. When Lucifer rebelled and Fell, that order was changed but it did not matter because that was how we were made. Every angel who has ever existed has loved their Soul more than anything and that same love is what leads to our eventual destruction."

And there it was, Gabriel stared dumbfounded at Sam as he pointedly stared out the window.

 _Hold on just a minute._

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait." When Sam didn't look at him, Gabriel reached across the table, grabbing the angel's hand and squeezing it until he looked at him, a brief flash of fear crossing his expression. "Sam, that isn't right. That is so fucking wrong."

Sam blinked at him, confusion crossing his expression and replacing the fear.

"Okay, you keep talking about this power crap. We feed you power. I really don't get that and I don't think I ever will. But you have that wrong. Love isn't like that." Gabriel groaned and let go of the angel's hand to run his hands across his face. "Jesus. I mean, whatever, okay. Sam, love doesn't work like that. Not in real life. Just because you get some power high off of my presence it doesn't mean…" Was he really having to explain love to an angel? "I've never loved anyone so I can't describe that. Okay, that's a lie, I've never been in love. If I'm getting this right, you think that you're in love with me?"

Sam scrunched his eyebrows, considering his words, "Angels love their Souls endlessly."

"That doesn't answer my question, Sam."

Sam hesitated, not answering.

This was like talking to a six-year-old. "I'm going to take that as a yes you think you do. But, there's more to love than that. I could walk into any bar, get drunk off my ass, think that someone was the greatest person on the planet, then wake up the next day and realize how wrong I was. That it was just the clouded judgements of the night before that made me think so."

"Are you comparing your Soul to alcohol?" Sam questioned him.

"I am. Or a potent drug. Stay with me for a second on this before you get defensive. I get the human soul is probably much more complex. From what you've said, my soul feeds you power. Makes you stronger or something. Well it's like the rush from a potent drug or alcohol, you get that in your system and you kind of lose yourself. That isn't love, Sammy. That's lowered inhibitions making you think that you're in love."

Oh did that hurt to say. The thing was, he knew what it was like to be taken advantage of when intoxicated or drugged. His history was far from clean of those encounters and now that he _knew_.

 _Dammit._

He couldn't pursue his angel. Not like this. Not knowing that Sam was basically drugged off his soul. It was fucked up and he had absolutely no right.

Sam was looking at the table again, consideration etched into his entire posture.

"Sam, look at me."

When Sam did as told Gabriel's heart sank. There so much conflict and fear in his expression. So much unease and fear. It wasn't hard to guess why. Sam had said every angel in existence had their own soul and they all fell in love with the soul. How many angels had found their human soul and believed they were in love with it?

"Gabriel, there are three things that happen to an angel when they lose their Soul. Do you remember when Dean mentioned The Graveyard?" Gabriel nodded, wary of where this was going, also not certain if he wanted to know the answer. "When an angel's Soul dies we are barred from their Heaven. Due to Lucifer's actions all those years ago we can never see our Soul again after its death. We lose ourselves completely. Some of us move past it, we're never the same but we move past it. Some of us Fall from Heaven. We commit a sin so that we can Fall, or we rip our Grace out." Sam stared at the table again, "The final one is something else entirely. We cannot bear to be without our Soul so we go to a certain location in Heaven. A place I see as the darkest point of Heaven. The loss is too unbearable. They cannot keep living so they commit the one final act. They break apart completely. They go to this place and… they summon their angel own blade… they run it through the center of their Grace and destroy themselves completely."

Gabriel stared at Sam at a complete loss for words. The angels… they killed themselves? That was how bad it was…

"I did not ever wish to find you, Gabriel. Especially in this time. Especially when you are a Hunter. Whether I do love you or not, you are going to destroy me."

And what the _fuck_ kind of weight is that to have on your shoulders? When he opened his mouth to say something more Sam vanished in a flutter of wings.

" _Sam!"_

Oh crap.

Several of the other people in the restaurant were staring at him like he was insane, a couple were rubbing their eyes, obviously they'd seen Sam's disappearance. He groaned and pushed out of his seat, reaching into his pocket only to realize he had no money.

 _Dean, I don't know if you're listening or particularly care but I le-_ He was cut off when he felt something land in his hand, he looked down to see his wallet in his palm. Shaking his head, he opened it, dropped some money on the table and made his way towards the door, shooting the waitress an apologetic look as he went.

.-~*~-.

They stayed at Bobby's for two weeks before something interesting happened. Sam hadn't shown his face since the conversation in the diner and Dean had taken off the same day, talking about having work to do in stopping The Apocalypse that two humans couldn't help with.

While at Bobby's he had refused to talk about the conversation between him and Sam with Cas because he knew that it would immediately be shared with Dean. He didn't need an angry Archangel on his ass. Not that he thought Dean would actually kill him. Not by the way that Sam had spoken of souls.

The soul thing had him uncomfortable as hell and he wasn't sure whether he should be grateful that Sam was gone or worried. Either option was a possibility.

Gabriel had been sitting in the yard, pretending to work on a car, when he'd gotten a text from an impossible number. He frowned and looked at the text.

 _313: Bobby probably shared my mess. Fine with that. Nex found Seal in Eureka, Montana. "Destroying the last of nature." No idea. I'm in Florida. Take it or have daddy giv it to another hunter._

Gabriel stared at the text for several long moments, only confused for a minute. _Dalara._ He realized and frowned before tapping back a response.

 _Gabriel: How'd you get my number?_

 _313: Infamously known for skinning monsters and person alive and that's what you ask?_

Gabriel winced at the memory of those pictures purely because it reminded him all too much of Hell.

 _313: Out of line. Fuck Alistair. Don't let it get to you._

If only it was that easy.

 _Gabriel: You haven't answered my question._

 _313: I fucked this beautiful red head and she hacked it for me._

What was it with red heads? Why was it so easy to have a weak spot for red heads? Natural or not. And dammit that visual. It was a perplexing one that also left him feeling extremely uncomfortable, though he wasn't sure why.

 _313: I'm full of shit._

 _313: Well I did fuck a beautiful nerdy red head. Not for your number though._

 _313: While Nex had hold of your brothers soul bond she got a brief download of his life._

Gabriel groaned and ran his hands over his face, pushing himself to his feet before responding.

 _Gabriel: Are you going to explain why you got caught in a devil's trap?_

He didn't get an immediate response as he headed for the house to talk to Bobby and Cas about what he'd heard. It wasn't until he hit the front step that his phone dinged. This text was more thought out than the others, carefully worded.

 _313: Hell broke me, Gab. I was on the rack for a long time and Alistair trained me well. I'm human. Most the time. Twelve hundred years did a measure on my soul. I ripped those vamps apart so I wouldn't do it to something or someone else. So I'd stay me. Sometimes I'm not completely me. Sometimes I can't pass salt or Devil's Traps. Sometimes I look in the mirror and see black eyes. Im still me though. I just have very violent tendencies that I have to get out or I'll hurt someone. I don't harm humans. I'm the same hunter you met and same girl that held you together in Hell._

Gabriel wanted to believe her. He honestly did. Despite the fact that she'd basically said she has demonic phases. The problem wasn't that demonic tendencies. The problem was Bobby's story about Will. She claimed to be human and a hunter, why then would she rip a human apart like that? A hunter, which were far and few between.

 _Gabriel: And Will?_

No response came to that immediately so he headed through the door, pocketing his phone. Cas was sitting in the living room talking quietly on his phone, Gabriel heard the sound of someone moving around the kitchen so he made his way that way.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah?" Was Bobby's response as he went about making himself something to eat.

"Have you heard about anything suspicious in Montana?"

"Montana?" Bobby turned away from the counter, "I haven't heard of a case in Montana in at least two years. Not to say it hasn't happened. Why are you askin'?"

Gabriel really didn't want to explain this. Not with the way he'd reacted to the first mention of Dalara. "I got a text from one of my dad's old contacts. He was looking into seals for me. Said he read something about ' _destroying the last of nature'._ Told me he looked around and had reason to believe it might be in Eureka, Montana."

Bobby eyed him suspiciously, if anyone could call Gabriel on his bullshit it was Bobby. Gabriel was almost positive Bobby was going to say something but he didn't, instead he said, "Well you better get your asses into gear. Get your brother and get the hell outta my house." Bobby grabbed the sandwich he'd been making off the counter behind him and made his way towards the study, leaving Gabriel to stare after him. Since when did he not try to push for answers? Had he fallen through a gateway to an alternate reality? Was he dreaming?

He absolutely did not pinch himself just to make sure.

After a few moments of consideration, he headed towards the living room, "Get off the phone, Cassie. We're goin' to-" Cas shot him a look that told him to shut his mouth. He raised an eyebrow and listened as his brother ended the call.

"I'll see you in a couple days, Meg." Cas hung up and Gabriel stared at him like he'd grown a second hate.

"Wait, is that the chick you were talking about the other day? The one that might be getting you off the Dean wagon." There was still something seriously wrong with this. Or this was one miracle chick that Gabriel just _needed_ to meet.

Cas sighed, "I told you before, Gabe. I am probably never going to get over Dean."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, "That doesn't answer my question, Cas."

"Yes. Meg is the girl that I've been talking to. Now where are we going?"

Gabriel shook his head at his brother's blatant avoidance of the subject. "Apparently we're going to see your new girlfriend in a couple days."

Cas shook his head rapidly, "No you aren't going. Not now and not ever."

"Why not?" He asked innocently.

"Because you're going to torment me if you meet her. Not only no, hell no."

"Ye of little faith. Fine, we're going to Montana." Cas raised an eyebrow and it was his turn to avoid the subject, "We're just protecting a seal."

"Are you going to give me specifics?"

"Hunter got ahold of us, something about ' _destroying the last of nature'._ Said he looked around and had reason to believe it might be in Eureka, Montana."

Cas frowned. "You're lying, Gabriel."

"I'm not lying."

"I've been watching you lie our entire lives. Did you talk to Sam?"

Gabriel flinched and shook his head, glancing over his shoulder to confirm that Bobby was gone before he looked at his brother again, "I haven't spoken to Sam since he ditched me at the diner. Don't freak on me but the info came from Dalara," Cas opened his mouth in the start of a protest but Gabriel rushed on before he could finish. "I get that we shouldn't trust her but she _is_ working with the Queen of Hell who has a perfectly rational reason for not wanting Luci to get popped from the box."

"You want to do demon work?" Cas asked, baffled.

"It's not _demon_ work." Gabriel defended, though Cas was right to an extent. "It may have been handed to a hunter by a demon but Heaven is doing the same crap. Stopping The Apocalypse is more important than suddenly having morals about how the hell we do it."

"We've always had morals about it."

"Except when it has to do with your god. Or should I say archangel now?"

Cas clenched his teeth. "Don't you dare."

"Don't what? Bring up the fact that for the past six years you've been pining over a god that you _knew_ was out doing all levels of crap. A god you've pretended was a good guy for the sake of public knowledge. Cassie, I've fucked monsters in the past, knowingly done it, but I've never pretended that they were good. Don't you dare bring out your moral compass when it suddenly suits your needs. We aren't good hunters, Cas. The second you bent over for Dean you lost the right to hold the moral high ground."

Cas stared at him with a mixture of anger and hurt, Gabriel wasn't sure if he'd punch him or if he'd take off.

He did neither, instead he spoke softly, looking down at his lap, "It was your idea, Gabe. Do you remember that? You were the one who said that we needed to avenge mom. I _told you_ it was a bad idea. Yes, I may have agreed to let Dean _fuck_ me and bind my soul but it was _your idea_. You basically sold my soul into the slavery of a Pagan god. We knew what would happen when he arrived, either he would kill us both, or he would bind one of us. It was the god's choice of which. I didn't want to die, I didn't want you to die, so I did it. I'm not dropping the whole blame on you because I didn't fight you too much on it but it was _your idea_. I was still a teenager. You had no right to put that on my shoulders. I went with it anyway. I went with it and I got _fucked_ for it. Maybe you've warped your memories and don't realize it, maybe you do and you don't care, but this is it. This is the truth. _Every single time_ life or hunts get too complicated you're looking for an easy out, even if it isn't morally correct. Up until the day you sold your soul for me you were doing this crap and I thought that _maybe_. If anything good could come from it. Maybe Hell might have fixed that but here you are again, dropping everything for a lead from a demon. The Queen of Hell. I'll go check this out, I'm not saying I won't, but… you need to stop and think before you open your mouth because ever since you came back, you've been careless about what you say." Gabriel opened his mouth though he had no idea what to say. Cas held up his hand, "Don't you dare." He warned as he rose to his feet, walking out of the room and leaving Gabriel to think over what his brother had told him.


	10. 9: Fractures and Repairs

**WARNING: (chapter spoilers) This chapter gives us a bit of insight into Cas and Dean's history. I do not go into graphic detail at all but as implied last chapter things did not start out well between them. Cas reflects on the night in the beginning of the chapter but doesn't go into detail on that, I do a short flashback of the other half of the ritual. Cas also blatantly says that Dean raped him. If this stuff bothers you skip to the line break or "Castiel shook the memory away, squashing it down to the best of his ability…"**

The car ride was long and exhausting, Bobby had loaned them a truck and they'd taken to the road. When they'd arrived in the motel room Castiel had watched his brother slump onto the bed and sleep while he had made his way into the bathroom, itching for a shower. Nothing could wash away what was wrong.

What he had said at Bobby's had been true. He'd snapped. Which he had every right to do. Ever since his brother had returned from Hell he had been worse. Worse in a lot of ways. Castiel didn't blame Gabe for it. He had gone to Hell for him in the most literal sense of the word.

The issue he was having then was that in their brief time together in Hell Castiel had been forced to relive that night. The first night with Dean.

Castiel would never really forgive his brother or Dean for that night. What Dean had done to him… it was something he could've gone without ever experiencing again. It wasn't exactly Dean's fault. Castiel had accepted this fact. Dean had explained multiple times before it happened that there were ancient rules binding him, that if he didn't do it he would have to kill the brothers.

So Castiel had done what he had to. It wasn't the sex that had scarred him. Well… not exactly. It was the Pagan equivalent to foreplay. He still held the scars of the blood magic that was done. Intricate patterns that lined his body from the soles of his feet to the tips of his shoulders. If he removed his shirt and stared at himself he could still see the white lines lining his skin in ways that, had they not been so excruciating to obtain, could have been beautiful works of art. Castiel had to give Dean credit, he _was_ an artist with a blade.

Castiel still remembered every word spoken despite the fact that he had been held to a table and screaming his lungs out. The problem with the magic was that it tortured him. For the Pagan god who he was basically sacrificing himself to, the magic was meant to punish the human for wasting his time. Dean had told him there was no other way though he hadn't acted like he wasn't going to enjoy it. Castiel could not have enjoyed anything that night it if he'd tried.

" _Castiel, are you with me?" The god asked, gripping his hand. Castiel had blinked rapidly, trying to get away, trying to free himself from the agony. He couldn't. He couldn't do this. It had been a bad idea. A terrible idea._

" _Please. Let me go. Kill me. Just kill me." He begged through sobs, his voice hoarse. When he looked at the god again he was glowing, glowing with a beautiful green light, almost as though he was radiating an entirely different being from within. If Castiel had not been in pure agony, he would have been fascinated. Instead he just returned to his helpless sobbing._

" _We're almost done." Dean told him over his pleading, he hadn't mentioned that there was one more part to the ritual. Maybe it was best that way. "The words will come to you. Respond as they require. It's almost over." Then the green glow in the room had intensified, Dean's voice taking on an otherworldly undertone, "In return for my assistance in this task, for the destruction of the demon that murdered your mother, you must surrender yourself completely to me."_

 _The words had come effortlessly, it did not mean he wanted to speak them. He knew them. They sat on the tip of his tongue but no matter_ what _agony his body was going through; he couldn't help but question them. They weren't… he had to do it. For their mom. "In return for… for your assistance I… I s… surrender myself com…pletely to you. Body, mind, and soul… What… whatever you a… sk for, I will b…be at your beck and call." He choked out._

" _Should I die, this deal will be null and void and you will die with me. Should you die the deal with be null and void and I will be free from my obligations. Should I ever choose to back out, this deal will be nullified and you will die. If you ever attempt to break this deal to back out of this deal, it will nullify and you will die. Should we both choose to back out of this deal, we will separate on acceptance. Do you understand these terms?"_

 _A blade came down on him again and he screamed again, a choked, "yes" escaping him as he sobbed helplessly._

" _Castiel Novak, from this day until your last your Soul belongs to me. From now until the end, your mind," Dean ran the blade across the center of his scalp, earning another cry of pain, "body," Straight across the center of his chest down to between his hipbones, "and Soul" The god lifted the blade and set it over the center of his chest. "are mine. Do you understand this?"_

" _Yes!" He cried because there was nothing else he could do. The blade plunged into him and for one terrible moment Castiel thought that he was going to die. One single terrible moment. Instead it never pierced his skin, sinking into what he_ knew _was his Soul. A terrible shriek escaped him then the agony vanished in one fell swoop. Castiel gasped desperately, the pain_ gone _, it was perfect despite the fact that he felt something else. Something heavy and weighing._

" _There is one final part, Castiel." The god had spoken softly in his ear. In that moment Castiel hadn't cared what it might entail as long as it wasn't the pure agony of being tortured._

Castiel shook the memory away, squashing it down to the best of his ability and wiping the tears from his eyes. Oh he had every right to be pissed but it wasn't fair to Gabe to throw that at him. The memory of that night had been buried long ago when he had stopped seeing Dean as his captor and started seeing him as a reluctant ally. Despite Gabe's constant teasing he hadn't fallen in love with Dean until a year or so after they'd met. Maybe it was something along the lines of Stockholm Syndrome, maybe it was something more. It didn't really matter. Not anymore. He was done.

Dean was an Archangel and thanks to the trip to Hell the memories of that first night were front and center in his consciousness.

Dean was an _Archangel._

It didn't matter that he was posing as a god. It didn't _matter_ that he was hiding. Dean hadn't _had_ to do it. He wasn't _bound_ by that what he'd claimed to.

He'd been tortured then fucked by an Archangel.

A choked sound escaped him as he gripped the edge of the sink, staring at himself in the bathroom mirror.

All these years, all this time, and he'd been manipulated by an _Archangel._

He jerked around and stormed out of the bathroom, going out the door and slamming it behind him for good measure. He was in the car and driving before he'd realized he was doing it.

Compulsion had him driving towards a park. He wasn't sure why he was doing it.

When he parked in the parking lot and still had no idea _why_ he was there. How had he got there so fast?

Blinking several times he climbed out, looking around the park with unease.

Then he saw it and felt his blood boiling beneath his skin.

Dean's car. The vehicle he didn't actually need. 'A '97 Chevy Impala' as he would always proudly announce. Dean was leaning against it and Castiel was _pissed_.

He knew. At first, he hadn't had a clue _why_ he was driving to a park. There was no logic to the action. He was stressed and angry, he wouldn't have gone to the park.

Unless he'd been compelled to do it by a certain Archangel that had his soul bound.

"Dean." He got out through gritted teeth as he marched across the parking lot.

"Happy to see you too."

"Fuck you."

Dean sighed and waved his wrist, Castiel was forced to freeze on the spot and was left to glare at the Archangel.

"You wanted to see me."

"Let me go."

"Sorry, Cas. Not in the mood to get punched."

"All of this time."

"I didn't just magically become a different being overnight. Well I did. That was a long time ago and I didn't become an Archangel."

"You didn't have to do that to me."

"Actually, I did. Cas, you may be pissed at me and you have every damned right to be. I have been playing both of you since the start. I've been doing it to stop the _Apocalypse_ , which is more important than anything else. Including Archangel morals."

"You could have told us." Castiel didn't have the energy left in him to be angry. It didn't stop him from keeping the hostility in his voice, from struggling against the hold that Dean had over him.

"If I'd told you then it would've been over for me." Dean looked him over for a moment before continuing, "You have to understand something, Cas. For an angel, Heaven is everything we could ever want. Until we find our Soul. Then it's the one place we dread ever seeing again. We never know when us being there might get our Soul killed. I remember how it was before. It used to be different. Now it's just a constant reminder. If Lucifer had never Fallen it would have been different. He did though and it ripped Heaven apart at the seams."

Castiel listened to the mournful way the Archangel spoke, his shoulders dropped, his entire posture just _tired_. He couldn't do it though. Not now. Not knowing the truth. He couldn't pretend that everything was alright because it _wasn't_.

"Dean, you _raped_ me. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally. You _knew_ what was going on, you _knew_ Gabriel had _no right_ to bring me there, and you _raped_ me. You told me to either sell myself to you or me and my brother would die. I do not _care_ what excuse you come up with for _why_ you did it. It was one thing when you were a god, I'd accepted that. Gods are gods. You aren't a god. You're a _divine_ being and you _raped_ me."

No hesitance in his next words, the reason why he'd planned on calling Dean there that night before he'd been basically forced to go to him, "I want to break our contract. Either agree or kill me. I'm done."

A hundred different things crossed Dean's expression. "You don't want to do that, Cas."

"Why? Because my soul is tainted? Because-"

"I won't agree to break it. If I do, the taint will spread until you're barely or not at all human. I've been barricading it for years now. If you're going to die, you're going to die human." Pause, " _Either you agree to this or you die. It's simple. Your choice and no one else's._ "

Castiel clenched his hand into a fist at his side, those same exact words had been spoken to him six years ago and he'd made the choice that was convenient at the time. Now he wasn't young and naïve. Now he knew better. He knew Dean. Maybe not the Archangel that rested beneath but he knew _Dean._ Probably better than anyone purely because he'd spent years with him, bound to him. Castiel saw the bluff. The way Dean played all too confident, the same way he'd played as though he didn't care about him in the least.

"I want out." He told Dean who stared disbelievingly at him.

"You're willing to die?"

"I'm not going to die because you won't kill me, Dean."

Guarded, "That's a lot of confidence, Cas."

"Kill me, Dean." He challenged. "Break this bond and kill me."

A shadow of a frown beneath the confident smile as Dean pushed off his Impala, stepping forward until he was directly in front of Castiel. "You're wrong, Cas. I would kill you, I want to keep you human." Dean's eyes were boring into his, his words dark with a threat, "I can see so much more than the other angels. You're a True Vessel, Cas. One of my brothers is destined to ride your ass. Not in the fun way either. I can't see _who_ it is but four guesses on which of us needs a tainted Vessel." Dean touched the spot over his heart and he jerked against the Archangel's powers that still had him completely immobilized. "You're half right. I _can't_ kill you. I would if I could. Instead, I'll free your Soul. You'll live. Take this warning to heart, whatever you do, hold onto your humanity. If we fail and Lucifer gets free. Whatever you do, _don't_ say _'yes'_ to him." The hand Dean had on his chest curled around something and he yanked on it. Castiel gasped helplessly as Dean held a blade in front of their faces, a blade Castiel hadn't seen since the day he was first bound to Dean, "I release you, Castiel Novak." He stated, that same green glow that Cas hadn't seen since that first night erupting from beneath Dean's skin at the words.

Castiel slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

He felt… _free_.

Lighter.

A weight he hadn't realized had been there for years lifted from him and… something else. There but just out of reach.

When he looked up Dean and his car were gone.

.-~*~-.

Gabriel jerked awake at the sound of the motel room door slamming shut. By the time he'd gotten up and reached the door Cas was tearing out of the parking lot.

 _What the hell is his deal?_

Well… Gabriel had an idea of what was wrong. It fell back to their conversation at Bobby's which Gabriel was still conflicted about. As far as he could remember… none of what he'd said about their first encounter with Dean was right. Maybe Cas had been right about the rest of it. Maybe he was far too willing to do sketchy things by hunter means to complete hunts but…

He _didn't_ push Cas into that. He knew that for a fact, it hadn't been him who had pushed the idea. He _had_ made the suggestion and, no, Cas shouldn't have been there. That didn't change the fact that he _hadn't_ pushed him to it. He had dropped the topic and left Cas at the motel for a day or so. When he'd come back Cas had told him he'd thought it over and agreed to it.

It didn't make sense. When Gabriel had tried to explain it to him his brother had shut him out.

While he thought this over he made his way back into the bed and stared at the ceiling, considering trying to fall back asleep.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

He pushed himself up in the bed and flipped the TV on, flipping to the local news station and watching with limited interest. It was the early morning news, they were giving the weather report, which was apparently cold, and talking about some other things that he didn't really care about.

"What the hell are we doing here?" He asked himself, leaning against his hand and watching the screen with a bit of detachment.

Nothing.

Pushing off of the bed he went to Cas' duffle bag, digging around for his laptop. Yes, he had his own, but he couldn't toy with his brother by using his own. Just as he'd settled back onto the foot of the bed he caught the end of the report.

"…this brings the total death count to five. It is being advised by the authorities that citizens steer clear of the construction site until we have more information on _who_ may be doing this."

Well that was something.

He flipped on his brother's laptop and got into the motel's Wi-Fi without too much of an issue. The first thing he did was find a _Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue_ background for his brother's computer and set it. The next thing he did was make his way into the local news website.

As he tabbed through pages he considered how the hell he would get Cas to listen to him. He also wondered where Sam had gone. If his theory about the souls to the angels had been correct… Sam would be itching to return sooner or later. Or he'd been completely wrong and broken the angel's heart for no reason.

 _Oh crap._

What if he had been wrong? What if the angels actually _did_ love their souls? What if Sam actually did love him and he'd just sent him off telling him it was all crap? What if whatever this bond God, _not weird at all_ , placed between the soul and angel _did_ make them love the soul?

 _That isn't how love works._ Part of him reminded him.

 _But it's how some think it works… and Sam's an angel. They work differently. Fuck._

"Sam?" He spoke stupidly to the room, setting the laptop to the side. "It's been-"

Instead of Sam arriving in a flutter of wings like Gabriel had expected, another one arrived. Before Gabriel could even get his hand on the gun beneath his pillow the new angel snapped and had it in his hand. "I really would prefer if you didn't shoot me." Gabriel eyed the new angel uneasily. He looked a lot more laid back, more comfortable in his vessel. The angel settled into one of the chairs and made a face. "What is with Hunters and motels?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"One of Sam's brothers." Gabriel glared at him. "Balthazar." The angel smirked, leaning forward and eying Gabriel. No. Not eying. He was looking him over like he was dinner and if it wasn't for the situation Gabriel might've made a comment along the lines of 'like what you see?' Instead he remained silent. "I can see what he sees in you."

"What?" Gabriel's heart sank just a bit, had he been wrong? _Fuck._

"Actually I'm full of it. He doesn't see anything except that dull Soul of yours. But he really is missing quite a sight. Of course, I tend to go for… How should I say? Less hunterly types."

"Where's Sam at?" He asked uneasily. Why hadn't Sam come? Was he pissed at him? Was it something else entirely?

"So, you do care." The angel smirked. "Sammy is in Mexico. Punishment for killing Zachariah though there's not real evidence that he was the one who killed him. Hannah still claims she did it. I'm here to play silent guardian of little bro's Soul since he's banned from visiting."

Gabriel frowned, raising an eyebrow, "Silent guardian?"

"You and that brother of yours are rather boring. Not that I've been sticking around for the boring bits. Let me tell you, your brother has some serious issues."

 _Wait a minute._ "How long have you been-"

"Since the day after you scared little Samuel off." Balthazar smirked again and continued before Gabriel could begin to chew him out for spying on them, "Don't worry. Only the interesting bits. There haven't been many of those. Well except for Cassie putting you in your place. Now that, was golden. Is he taken by chance?" Before Gabriel could begin to articulate any sort of response to what was happening the angel vanished in a flutter of wings. A few seconds later there was the distinct sound of the door rattling open and Cas stepped through looking…

Gabriel stared dumbfounded at his brother.

Cas didn't look like Cas. Well, that was a lie. He _looked_ like him. Everything about his brother was the same… except…

Except he was grinning like a fool, his entire posture relaxed, his movements almost completely _wrong_.

"Dean broke it."

"What?" He asked stupidly as he reached for his gun to find it was still missing. _Dammit, Balthazar._

"The contract. The thing with my soul."

This was _wrong_. Why was it so wrong to see his brother smiling like this?

Simple. Cas hadn't been truly happy in years. Not like this.

 _Wait a minute…_

"I thought that was repressing some sort of taint in your soul?" He was on his feet in a moment, looking his brother over with unease.

"I am still me, Gabe." He stretched out, "Dean warned me that breaking the contract might turn me evil but I'm _me._ Except… I'm free. I feel free." Cas lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers pointedly, "Everything I do. Every movement I make. It's _my choice._ I can _feel_ the difference. I could go out and pick a fight in a bar and it would be _me_. Not him."

Gabriel wasn't sure whether he should be worried or grateful, it made no sense, and yet, it all made sense.

He had a vague understanding of what the binding between Cas and Dean meant. Soul, body, and mind. It was obviously a weight on his entire being, because the way his brother was standing and moving screamed that he was free.

"I can't decide whether to be pissed or not but, Gabe." He blinked and looked at his brother's hopeful expression, "It's gone. When I think of Dean, it's not what it used to be. I _don't love him._ "

The first piece of good news he'd had in a long time, though he seriously needed to summon up an Archangel and demand answers for that little stunt.

All this time…

"Gabe, I'm free." His brother took steps forward until he was hugging him.

Gabriel stood there dumbfounded. What the hell had brought this on? Not an hour ago Cas had stormed out of the motel in a fit of rage.

"I need the story. Cas, I need you to explain what the hell happened."

So he was forced to sit down while his brother paced back and forth across the room, fidgeting more than Gabriel had ever seen a living human being do while he told the short story of what had happened. His brother had even been kind enough to explain why he'd been so snappy with him, which would have been _great_ to know before. It had left the question as to why they had two separate recollections of the events. That question was answered pretty quickly when Cas had come up with a theory that since Dean had, admittedly, been manipulating them both. It left reason to believe that he had probably manipulated the entire situation.

Which had left Gabriel pissed.

No, pissed was an understatement. Pissed was the word to use when someone went behind your back and did something that you found out later. Pissed did not begin to cover the level of anger directed at the Archangel for not only manipulating their lives but Cas' mind.

His brother had suffered for years under unrequited love for a god, had dealt with every single thing that the contract had entailed, and for what? Trying to stop The Apocalypse? The _same exact_ Apocalypse that was now underway because he hadn't bothered stepping up when it _mattered._

Five words could have saved the world. Five words and maybe Gabriel would have had the dignity to keep his soul off the chopping block. Well, at least for Hell. All Dean had needed to say was, _"This will start The Apocalypse."_

Granted Gabriel probably would've told him he was full of shit but he would've listened. Listened to an explanation of what was happening. Maybe in the end he might've made that same stupid choice but he would've tried harder not to break in Hell. He would've _known_ the consequences.

Following the conversation about Dean, whom he was still going to talk to, and quite possibly, punch, Gabriel had gotten to explain that they had an angel spying on them. When Cas had pushed for details on _what_ had happened in the diner Gabriel had grudgingly given over the information.

Cas was proud of him for it.

What Gabriel had left out was the reasons _why_ he'd been so inclined to do the right thing. There were things about their childhood that, if he could help it, would never come to light. Bobby knew some of it but not the darker stuff. He never mentioned the darker stuff.

Besides, he'd been to Hell. Nothing could beat what he'd gone through down there.

Negative thoughts and memories aside, they were doing good. Other than the stalker angel who refused to show his face and Gabriel's unease about Sam's absence, things were better.

Well, except one small detail. Cas had lost his ride to visit Meg. There had been a bit of an argument there. She was in _Michigan._ Southfield, Michigan to be specific. Gabriel had looked and it was a twenty-eight-hour drive according to _Maps_. Gabriel had insisted that Cas left immediately so he wouldn't miss his first date as a free man, Cas had insisted saving 'the last of nature', whatever the hell that meant, was more important. They had finally come to a compromise. If they didn't get any useful information that day he'd leave Gabriel in Montana to meet up with Meg.

Of course, Gabriel was scheming against him. While they'd talked he'd been absently messing with the computer, playing as though he wasn't really aware of the actions. In reality he had been creating a masterpiece of the, once very organized, files and the folders on the, scantily dressed, desktop.

"Alright well I'm going to shower then we can head out." He set the laptop to the side and grabbed his duffle from the floor as he made his way to the bathroom, trying really hard not to think about the fact that Balthazar might be spying on him.

"What'd you do to my computer!" Cas shouted from the other room as he shut the bathroom door.

Then he laughed, he laughed so damned hard that he fell to the bathroom floor. He laughed because had he done this four hours ago they might've blown up and tried to strangle each other. He laughed because it was all so stupid. He laughed because the world was falling apart around them but his brother was pissed about a laptop. Honestly though, he laughed because for the first time since he'd been saved from Hell, he _could_ laugh.

 **Any thoughts on what the heck 'the last of nature' is? Let me know. ;)**


	11. 10: Protecting Nature

**Quick warning, there's a dub conny scene in this chapter. It isn't supposed to be rape, but it could also be perceived as rape.**

 **Sorry about the longer chapter, I kinda had a bit of fun with my monster. Well Gabe did. Yeah. Enjoy.**

They were settled into Officer Lee's office, looking across the table at the small brown-haired woman. Gabriel listened his brother as he tried, and failed, to talk to her. The woman was nice to his poor socially awkward brother and patient with him after Gabriel had told her, "He's new here. Really new."

Cas had shot him a dirty look.

Normally Gabriel dealt with the social aspects of a hunt but he was testing the waters on how much his brother would put up with. It had been forever since a small stunt like this didn't end with a real argument. Six years, more or less, something he hated to realized.

 _Dean took my brother away from me and I never even noticed._

"Gabriel." He blinked and offered an apologetic glance to Officer Lee as his brother pulled him back to attention.

"Sorry about that. Didn't sleep well last night." He gave as a weak apology which the sweet woman waved off.

"Don't apologize. I'm sure she was a lucky girl." He stared at her for a second, stunned and she blushed. "I have _no idea_ where that came from."

He shook it off, throwing her a charming smile, "Don't worry about it. We all say stupid things sometimes." _So very true._ "So the case?"

His brother was shifting uncomfortably next to him. Obviously, he hadn't gotten anywhere while he'd been daydreaming because she went on as though Cas hadn't touched the subject yet.

"Right. So there's been this big project in planning stages for months. Basically we're going to be wiping out a big chunk of the woods on the edge of town to build a Walmart."

"A Walmart?" Was this town even really big enough to be considered a town? Why would they possibly need a Walmart?

"I know." The woman frowned, "Most the town protested it. We've got local places. We don't need one of those monsters. Unfortunately, we got overruled on it. About a week and a half ago construction began. Some of the town was out there protesting but someone took it a step further. We've had to halt it until we can figure out who's doing it." Gabriel glanced at Cas who looked a bit thoughtful. Considerate.

"We heard that the men were hanged?" Gabriel pushed a bit, because that had been in the news. What he needed was the 'but' because there was no way there wasn't a 'but'.

"They were." She pressed her lips together and looked away, looking a bit green. She swallowed heavily before she continued, "I found the first body. Whoever's doing this. They went to a lot of work."

"Mind if I see the photos?" He pressed gently, not wanting to ask her exactly what it was. Not when she looked like she was about to puke her guts up just at the memory.

"Yeah." She cleared her throat, words a bit uneasy. "Give me a second." She got up from her seat and went to one of the filing cabinets behind her.

Cas shot him a look that told him, _"Don't you dare."_

Honestly, flirting with her hadn't even crossed his mind. There were more pressing matters at hand, for the time being, however… no he wouldn't do it just to annoy his brother. They had a Seal to help protect.

She set a file folder down in front of them, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Mind if we take them?" He asked and she gave him a grateful look.

"Of course. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call." She scribbled her number out on a sticky note along with the name Kathy and handed it to him. When he smiled at her and pocketed the number she settled back into her seat.

They said nothing more as Cas and him stood up, gathered the folder, and left the police station.

Once they were outside Cas cast him a curious look, "You didn't try?"

"What can I say? I've turned over a new leaf." Okay so this was definitely worth it. His brother looked a bit uneasy, obviously suspicious that he was planning something else.

"Whatever you say, Gabe." He finally responded as they arrived at the truck.

"You think I'm full of shit." He pointed out as he leaned against the side, watching his brother as he looked him over, as if trying to piece him together.

"I think you are up to something else. Or perhaps you still have intentions of pursuing Sam." Pause, "Tell me you aren't stupid enough to do that."

Gabriel averted his gaze and sighed, "I won't do that to him, Cas. Not knowing what I know now."

Cas searched him for several moments before nodding. "How bad do you think it is?" He motioned to the folder and Gabriel shrugged before pulling it open.

Honestly, he hadn't expected this.

Whatever had done this, Kathy had been right, they had put a lot of work into it. The front image was of the crime scene before they'd taken the body down. Strapped, no tied, to the side of the crane was what had once been a middle-aged man. Whatever had attacked him, it had been careful. The body was, for the most part, fully intact and stripped of all clothing.

As he flipped back a few pictures to get a closer look he had a better understanding of exactly what had been done to the man. The ears had been either ripped off, or cut off, and replaced with what could only be described as ram's horns. Running from the inside of the man's wrists all the way around the torso was a delicately woven pattern of vines stitched into and through his skin. The patterns reached across and around his entire body until they finally reached his feet, covering almost all of the skin. A perfect hole had been carved into the center of his chest, over his heart and exposing the organ which was still there. In one of the closer images it looked as though the heart had begun rotting away.

This was different than it had been looking at the bodies Dalara had skinned and ripped apart. This did throw him off, though it still didn't have the effect it might have once had. He'd seen monsters and everything else rip apart humans as easy as breathing, he'd done his fair share of mess making in brutally killing monsters. Nothing had ever been this intricate in its murder.

He shut the folder before Cas could look, more out of reflex than anything. His brother furrowed his brows and pulled it from his hand, ignoring the resistance Gabriel attempted to give. "Is it bad?" He asked, then, without bothering to wait for an answer he did open it. Cas had always had a high tolerance to disturbing and grotesque sights, which, during their childhood, Gabriel had always teased him about. To little surprise by Gabriel his brother reacted to the images with curiosity, skimming through them.

"Any theories?" He asked, more to pull himself from his own thoughts than from interest.

"Something's very angry." Cas responded without much thought, closing the folder and tucking it under his arm. "We found a lead. I'm going to call Meg and let her know it'll be a few more days."

Gabriel snapped back to reality and grabbed his brother's arm before he could grab his phone, "I can handle… whatever this is on my own."

Cas gave him a look that said, _"that's not going to happen._ " Instead of saying what the look clearly said, he laid out his reasons, carefully. "Meg is… different, understanding of the situation."

"Did-"

"She doesn't know what I do. I told her that I worked on the road with my brother. If I tell her I need a few more days, she's going to accept that. This is more important than that. Preventing The Apocalypse is more important than visiting her."

They could've stood there for hours and argued about the subject, maybe in the long run it could've gotten somewhere. The issue was, they didn't have hours to argue. Whatever 'the last of nature' was, it probably had to do with whatever was dropping bodies and it was throwing up all sorts of beacons to anything working at breaking Seals.

"Fine. Tell your girlfriend you have an Apocalypse to deal with. If she dumps you, that's on you." In reality, he hoped that this girl, whoever she was, would understand. Not that he'd admit it, he had a reputation as an asshole brother to uphold.

As if reading his mind, Cas rolled his eyes. "See if your hunter friend has anything more to go by than just 'destruction of the last of nature'." Then his brother walked away.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up the conversation, the words 'And Will?' staring back at him. She had never given a response to the question which left him to assume Will's death had been unnecessary. Part of him, the irritated part, just wanted to skip over asking for advice from her. Unfortunately, this was kind of important.

Grudgingly, he tapped out a quick message.

 _Gabriel: great answer to a simple question. If your going to ignore the personal crap then you do that. need to know if there's anything else on this Seal besides last of nature. Thanks._

It wasn't ten seconds before an answer came through.

 _313: Sorry game. In rush. hunting a wjthcb. Gave you all nex had. Try your archangel. Yes next told me. gtg_

Gabriel sighed and looked down the sidewalk where Cas was sitting in a bench, talking on his phone. So Dalara was a dead end, very possibly an actual dead end if whatever witch she was hunting got the best of her. Of course they could always ask Dean to come by but… honestly he wasn't sure if he wouldn't outright attack the Archangel if he showed his face. Not after what he'd learned. There was still a part of him tempted to summon said Archangel purely on principle to stab him. Then again, considering it was an Archangel… yeah he didn't stand a chance. Dying again wasn't exactly appealing either.

 _Damnit._ He threw open the door and slid inside, stretching his legs out and resting them on the dash while he waited for his brother to get off the phone. _Checklist time._

 _Step one, figure out where the hell Sam was, check._

 _Step two, approach this hunt like most every hunt, check._

 _Step three, make sure brother goes on date with Meg… that's not part of this list. Scratch that._

 _Step three, beat Dean's ass ten ways to Sunday. Up for debate. We'll leave that on this list._

 _Step four, try to figure out what the hell 'the last of nature is'._

Ah, the million-dollar question. He had never seen anything like that before. Not in their childhood and not in Bobby's arsenal of books. That being said, it didn't mean it didn't exist. In fact, there was no such thing as something being new. It was just a matter of it being a different type of assault on its life.

The most difficult part of this was the Seal itself. Dalara had used the phrase ' _Destroying the last of nature._ ' Which left him to assume that if 'the last of nature' was whatever they were hunting, they couldn't destroy it. Which meant they were hunting something extremely murderous, only they had to protect it rather than kill it.

 _We're so screwed._

.-~*~-.

Three hours later they were nowhere closer to figuring out what they were hunting, and, more importantly, how the hell they were going to deal with it without killing it.

"Break time!" Gabriel announced, pushing his laptop to the side. His brother shot him an annoyed look.

"But-"

"Bobby's looking into the lore and we're getting absolutely nowhere with this. I am going _out_ and you aren't going to stop me. In fact, if it wasn't for you and this chick you're supposed to be doing the horizontal-"

"That isn't-"

Gabriel continued on as though his brother hadn't attempted to cut him off, "-tango with, I'd be dragging you out with me by your ear. So, I'm going out. You can do whatever it is you do when I'm not around, just try to keep it PG." Before his brother could articulate any form of answer Gabriel turned and left the room, closing the door behind him and beginning the short walk to the bar he had spotted not a block away.

"Alcoholism isn't a healthy life solution." To his own surprise he barely flinched when Balthazar materialized next to him. "I mean, sure, it's loads of fun, but drinking away life's problems is never the solution."

"Don't you have a Seal to protect?"

"You two morons are dealing with it. I'm only here to play Guardian since little Sammy can't leave his post."

"Didn't you say silent guardian?" Though he tried to sound bitter, in reality, he didn't particularly care.

"Trust me. If you weren't going to that bar I wouldn't have bothered coming back. I was in France enjoying my time with a very lovely woman by the name of Mary Jane."

The made Gabriel pause, "Is the thing we're hunting in the bar?" He didn't bother making a remark on the angel's use of the name 'Mary Jane', though he wondered for a moment if angels could get high.

"I have no idea what you're hunting. I do know there's at least one demon in this town waiting to kill whatever it is." Balthazar turned to face him, actually, no, he wasn't facing him, he was looking past him. "Scratch that. Three demons. You little kiddies should really run." In an instant Gabriel jerked around, staring at the three six-year-old girls smiling innocently at them.

"Would if I could, angel." The middle one snapped its fingers and a silver blade Gabriel recognized from Sam and Dean appeared in its hand. "Ali wants this one," She motioned to Gabriel with the blade as Balthazar stepped forward, "back on the racks."

"Sorry, girls. He's under Heaven's protection."

The left one hummed, giggling loudly. "He isn't. Playtoys to angels don't belong to Heaven. They belong to where their Souls go. Your brother stole him from us and its time we get him back."

The middle one launched itself at Balthazar and he watched in horror as he plunged his blade into the child's chest before the demon could come close.

"Gabriel, it is time to _go._ " The angel warned as the other two girls drew those same blades and held them carefully.

Gabriel was paralyzed on the spot as he realized that Balthazar was going to _kill_ these kids.

Despite his acceptance of Nex's vessel, that was different. This was _worse_. Nex was a demon. Most demons had no reason to lie. If she'd said the girl she was possessing was corrupt, he honestly had no reason to _not_ believe her. This was different because these demons were field agents bent on starting The Apocalypse that probably picked up the first meat suit they could find.

The kids were innocent bystanders and Balthazar was about to _kill_ them.

Before he could react he was being flung backwards down the sidewalk, hitting the ground with a surprising lack of pain, and he could only watch as his "silent guardian" plunged his blade into the second child's neck.

The third one used that moment to launch itself onto Balthazar's back and stab its blade through something that was completely invisible. A space about six inches away from the angel's left shoulder. He let out an angry shout and reached behind him, grabbing the girl by her braid and throwing her into the ground.

He didn't kill this one. The blade still protruding from an invisible appendage shook around until it flew through the air and a landed a few feet away with a loud metallic clank.

Balthazar knelt down on the girl, touching her chest and earning a scream. When he got back to his feet he picked the child up by her braid and shot Gabriel an irritated look.

"Next time I say _run._ Don't just stand there like an idiot. Now help me with this." Gabriel numbly rose to his feet, walking towards the child demon, who was unconscious, and the angry angel. "I should've stayed in France. _Dammit._ " He gritted out.

"Did she-"

"Yes, she stabbed me in the wing, which is about the equivalent of being stabbed in the leg for a human. I really would like to know how she learned that little trick."

"What did you do to her?" Gabriel questioned as he looked at the unconscious demon.

"Burned a devil's trap into her heart." The angel responded bitterly, grabbing the child demon and draping it over his shoulder.

"But-"

"I am _not_ in the mood to be lectured by a human about morality. Yes, I just killed three children. Get over it. One of them was already dead, the other was better off dead. This one, well she's collateral." He began stalking towards the motel and Gabriel rushed to keep up, trying to comprehend what the hell had just happened.

They'd been ambushed by three demons. Balthazar had assumed they were targeting the Seal but the reality was much worse. These demons had been tracking him down.

To return him to Alistair.

He winced and bit down on the inside of his cheek, hard enough that it drew blood yet again.

Without care for what Cas might be doing, Balthazar used his angel powers to fling the door open and strolled through the door.

"What the hell!"

Gabriel rushed in after Balthazar as he dropped the unconscious child on the bed.

"Hi, Cassie. I'm Balthazar, the angel who has been stalking your asses for the past few weeks." Once Gabriel was through the door it flung shut behind him and symbols began burning themselves into the wall along with a Devil's trap burning into the ceiling above the bed. "Pesky things, demons are. They've been learning all sorts of tricks in the war. Stabbing an angel in the wing, though. Demons aren't supposed to be able to _see_ them. Not low level little deviants like this one." He summoned his blade and strolled right over to the child's side. Gabriel and Cas shot each other a look before Balthazar shoved his blade into the demon's shoulder, it jerked awake with an agonized scream.

"Balthazar!" They both shouted at the same moment, Cas jumping off the bed and grabbing the angel's arm. Gabriel drawing his gun from his belt though he knew it would do nothing against the angel.

The child demon began laughing, a dark sound twisted sound. "I grounded you, little angel and now you've got to deal with Hunters and those terrible little things called morals."

"Hands. Off." Balthazar warned his brother who recoiled with unease. "How did you attack my wings?" He asked the demon he smiled sweetly.

"I'd rather not spill the dirty details. I value my life."

"I will smite you where you lay if you don't tell me."

"Aw, is the angel upset? Scared 'cause little old me got a blade through those gorgeous feathers?"

"I _won't_ offer again."

The child demon shifted slightly, tilting its head to eye the angel with all too knowing eyes, "You aren't much of a warrior, Balthazar. I've heard the stories. We're tapped into our own little piece of Angel Radio. Rebel at heart. All you want is out of this meaningless war. Join our father and you'll have that freedom. You can go do whatever you wish. No more of Heaven's orders. You won't have to fight. Those brothers and sisters that have been fighting you, that is their choice. He doesn't use you as cannon fodder."

Balthazar paused for a brief moment, as though he was considering her words, before he yanked his blade from her shoulder earning a pained cry. "You aren't nearly as motivational as Luci. Not by a long shot. Again, I'm asking, how did you do that?"

The demon shook its head and pressed its lips together.

This time Balthazar's tone was dark, a warning, a very dangerous threat, "Come now, demon. I can do so much worse to you than smite you. I'd love to play with my big brother's toys. See, you're right. I am not a warrior. Not by a long shot. What I am is a _very_ creative, free minded angel. I was named Balthazar a very long time back and I was assigned to a very specific task. I walked among humanity in some of the darkest ages of humanity and learned all of their neat tricks. All the fun that could be had with them and all the pain I could cause them. So again, demon. Tell me how you learned to see and interact with an angel's wings without it burning your eyes out. Give me specifics on why you're here. Or I will see just how much fun I can have with my big brother's toys."

Lethal silence for several moments. Slowly fear creeped into the demon's demeanor. "If I… tell you… you have to kill me. I can't go back… not if I tell you…" The demon's gaze flicked to Gabriel before returning to the angel. "Alistair will take me back on the racks and… I can't."

"My word is my bond. Now spill." Something deep in Gabriel's gut told him that Balthazar was lying. Either way, he didn't dare spill those beans. They needed this information.

The demon shifted uncomfortably from its spot on the bed again, "There's a bounty on his head." She motioned to Gabriel, "We weren't here for him though. He was just a lucky find. Any demon that finds him and brings him back to Hell will be free to roam the Earth and do as they please. Even if we're stupid enough to get exorcised we get a free pass back onto Earth."

"What Seal are you after?" Balthazar asked, neutral.

"We have to destroy the last of nature. She's been hiding here for the past fifty years. Hunters have destroyed the rest. It's a nymph. She's heavily warded and the only way we could get her to come out is to have her forest destroyed."

 _The Walmart. That was the demons._

"We've been working on getting the city to begin construction in that area so we could snap this Seal. It holds two in itself. When she is destroyed it will break two of the Seals, the last of a species and the last of nature. It would have been three if we had found her before she killed but we had to force her to kill to get her out of hiding."

 _The last of a species._ Something in Gabriel's stomach twisted uncomfortably at that idea. They were hunting the last of a species. These demons intended on _killing_ the last of a species. A seemingly docile being until the demons had forced its hand.

"My wing?" Balthazar asked and the demon winced.

"Amarian. He gathered several of the demons and told us how to do it. I can't actually see them but I knew exactly where to stab when you were in the midst of battle. He explained that angels sometimes use their wings to help them balance but especially weak fighters. Now I've told you everything. Kill me."

Balthazar laid his hand on the demon's chest and she jerked away from the contact as all of her wounds healed over.

"Exorcise it." Balthazar stated bluntly as he turned and made his way towards the door, Gabriel shot a look at his brother then the demon who was now sitting up and staring at them with pure fear.

"Please. Don't exorcise me. _Kill_ me. I am _begging_ you. Gabriel, surely you understand. If I… _Alistair._ " He winced at the mention of the name but other than that held neutrality.

Gabriel turned and left the room as his brother began the exorcism. If she kept begging him… he very well might have given into her pleas. He paused outside the door to see Balthazar sitting on the hood of their truck, his body distorted awkwardly as he picked at something completely invisible. His expression was neutral though he winched visibly as he manipulated what could only be his wing.

"You have your hunt. I recommend finding a peaceful solution. Nymphs can be aggressive little things if they're pissed. This one is very pissed."

"You're leaving?"

"I'm grounded. Have to wait for this to heal over. Nymphs don't like angels. About fifty years ago I was part of the group of angels sent to Earth to kill the ones the Hunters missed off. I thought they were extinct. Apparently, they aren't yet." Balthazar let go of the invisible appendage and jumped off the hood of the car, rolling his shoulders and grimacing. "I will be at the bar if you need me. Try not to get killed."

"That's it?" Gabriel asked, glaring at the angel. Was he serious?

"I saved the little girl, even carved an anti-possession sigil into her ribs as a safety gift. I saved your ass, I'm not going to go with you to the nymph because if I do it will get you killed. Granted you going out there in general might get you killed anyway but, I've been wrong. Word of advice, let your brother do the talking."

"You're kidding, right? Cas can barely talk to a tree much less an angry monster."

"Lucky him he's talking to a tree. If the rumors are true, he's Luci's True Vessel. Big bro has talked a quarter of The Host onto his side, in theory his Vessel should be the same way." Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, ask any of the thousand questions cycling around in his head in that single moment. "Have fun on your hunt, Gabe. If things get too messy, pray to Sam. He will leave his post to save your life and he can't get in trouble for it."

Gritting his teeth, he returned to the motel room where the child the demon had been possessing was curled up in a ball, crying, with Cas stroking her hair awkwardly from the seat he'd taken next to her.

 _Ah crap. I should've followed the angel to the bar._

"She was locked away until they found you. Those other girls were her friends." Which meant that this kid had watched Balthazar murder her friends.

Demon possession victims were always so screwed up after the trauma. This poor kid was going to spend the rest of her life suffering the aftereffects of an event that she would never truly understand.

 _Maybe I should've had Balthazar kill her._

Immediately he shoved that thought away because, no, that wasn't how they worked. Yes, he was sketchy but they didn't _kill_ kids.

 _Except when you're in Hell, then you just rip their souls apart._ A dark voice, that sounded suspiciously like Alistair, whispered to him from the back of his mind and he bit into his cheek again, forcing that away.

 _That was different._ He told himself silently as he made his way around the stupid motel room, kneeling in front of the girl.

"Hey, sweetheart. Can you look at me?" She sniffed and met his gaze, her eyes bloodshot from crying and fearful. "Alright. Good. Can you tell me your name?"

"A… Arbor…" She stuttered out.

"Alright, Arbor. Do you know where you live?"

He glanced at Cas who shot him a look that read something along the lines of, 'her parents could be dead.'

"Um…over by… the park… w… we were at the… the park when the…. scary smoke…" She burst into a fit of crying again, clinging to Cas' side.

His brother shot him a pleading look that, had the situation not been so bad, he might've laughed at. Instead he just pushed himself to his feet and touched the girl's shoulder. "Arbor. We're gonna take you home, alright?" What else could they do besides take her home? She was screwed up for the rest of her life. This poor girl would never be the same again and they had absolutely no way to help her other than to tell her to lie. She was only six but it didn't matter. They had a Seal to protect.

"O… okay…" She muttered weakly as she let go of Cas. Carefully Gabriel stepped back and offered his hand which she took as she squirmed off the side of the bed.

For a brief moment she stretched her limbs out, as though checking that they were hers, then she tugged on his hand, pulling him towards the door.

"Cas, look up lore on nymphs. I'll be back in half an hour." His brother nodded silently and watched as he allowed the little girl to pull him towards the door.

.-~*~-.

The drive towards Arbor's house was uncomfortable, the girl stared out the window while he explained to her that she would have to lie to her parents. He couldn't get her to answer him and something had him on edge.

It probably had something to do with the fact that she had told him the park she lived by was at the edge of town near the construction site.

Then there was the massive clap of thunder before it started sleeting suddenly.

 _That's normal._ _It probably meant the nymph was close, he just really hoped it didn't try to kill him while the kid was in the car. It was likely the thing would go after them both._

For the moment, he pushed away the bad feeling. They were less than a block from where she said she lived. He peered out the window at the construction site where all the bodies had been found, partially grateful that the crime scene had been cleared of the last body. He wasn't positive he could stomach much more today.

It wasn't until he pulled to a stop outside of an old house that everything went… well crazy. In the single moment that his car stopped four things happened. One, a single bolt of lightning struck in front of the truck, two, three very large vines tore out of the ground next to the truck and latched onto the hood, tailgate, and roof of the car, the one on the roof shattering the window next to him and wrapping itself across the underside, three, his gun flew from his belt to the passenger seat.

Four was the most unsettling part, the once had been six-year-old girl in the passenger seat was replaced with a strangely familiar woman, that he couldn't quite place, in her mid-twenties with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was completely naked, her hair braided and wrapped up with vines in a very familiar pattern. The same pattern the body had been covered in. Before he could open his mouth to say anything she was in his lap, vines stretching from somewhere behind her back and wrapping around his throat.

"Hunters just _don't_ know how to leave things alone." She hissed out, her words distorted and raspy, as he began choking, grabbing at the vine and fighting for air. "You wiped out _all_ of my kind. You and those damned _angels_. Then you just show up here when all I'm trying to do is protect my _home_. My _life._ I was quiet. I was peaceful. Then this damned _demon_ comes and possesses me. Kills my _friends._ All I wanted was to live _peacefully._ "

He choked something out along the lines of, "not kill you…" but he was fighting so hard for oxygen he wasn't sure they came across.

She paused though. The vine constricting his throat loosening up and allowing him to suck in a glorious breath of oxygen. Try as he might, he was greeted with memories of Alistair, memories of being starved of oxygen. It was easier to push away when vines slithered off her arms and around his torso, cutting into him with thorns.

"Not kill me? Right. Let's hear whatever _clever_ excuse you have. Then I'll hang you up to dry with that baby brother of yours." She paused and tilted her head, "Maybe after having some fun with you." She met his gaze, a dark smile on her face as she licked her lips.

"A _Seal._ " He got out, panicking, if that implication was what he thought it was… He shuddered at the idea. He would not let that happen. He'd die before he let that happen.

That word made her pause, the vines pausing for the slightest moment before tightening around him again. "That's a legend. A _lie_ told as a reason to _slaughter_ my kind." She bared now sharp teeth at him. "I should rip your throat out and sacrifice you to Pan."

"It's true." He pulled away to the best of his ability as the nymph leaned forward, closer, her eyes boring into his. "Please, Arbor. That's tree, right? Just hear me out. I'm not here to kill you."

"You were with an angel." She responded, watching him closely, "I'll listen. Then I'll kill you. I like a good story before I dine. Give me a reason to let you live."

"This wasn't supposed to happen. You heard the demon. You heard what it said."

"Lies." She hissed out.

"I won't lie. Not now. If any other hunter had shown up they would've killed you, no questions asked. I wouldn't have. Not for this. Not for you. I am blood bound to Kali, Zeus, and Loki. My brother was soul bound to a god that went by the name of Dean for six years. If you don't believe me, believe this. I was trusted by them. I encountered them and we separated on safe terms. Three different hunts. I don't kill everything I hunt. I had no intentions on killing you unless I had to, and I didn't _want_ to."

She considered him for a moment before biting into his shoulder. He let out a startled cry as she pulled away from the wound, licking her lips and tasting the blood.

"Two gods and a goddess." She confirmed, the vines releasing his arms and moving to bind his wrists to his side. "Kali, Zeus, and Loki. I can taste them." She blinked, tilting her head and eying him for a moment. "You really get around, Hunter." Then she was kissing him, hard, the coppery tang of his blood still on her lips and making him slightly ill. He jerked against the action and she pulled away, meeting his gaze. "Blood bond and I will trust you."

 _Shit._ "Yes." He agreed because he was partially desperate but also because he would have done it anyway, just as a way to earn her trust. In theory.

She smiled wickedly and kissed him again, biting his lip hard with her too sharp teeth.

Just like that all of his baser instincts shut down and he was lost to her.

.-~*~-.

When he came to he was in some sort of cave, wrists bound behind his back loosely with more vines. Arbor was pacing at the entrance, vines now wrapped around her body in makeshift clothing. _Too many vines._

In almost no time, he became uncomfortably aware that he was buck naked and memories of what had followed that bite flooded back to him.

 _Shit, shit, shit._ That was a stupid move if she chose to keep him prisoner. When he had made those agreements with Kali, Loki, and Zeus, he hadn't been drugged almost immediately following. During those he had been mostly coherent.

"I'm sorry about that. It has been a very long time since I mated with anyone. I overused my toxin." She rolled her shoulders and walked across the cave, settling in front of him. "Forgive me?"

He opened the shut his mouth. She'd… drugged him. _Damnit._ There was so much sincerity and hope in her expression that he honestly believed it was a mistake. _Puppy dog eyes._ Hazel eyes looking like a damned kicked puppy. There was no way he could be angry.

"Can you…"

Before he could finish his question the vines binding his wrists were gone and he was pushing himself into a sitting position, rubbing at the raw skin of his wrists. "So… I'm in danger?"

"Yes." He told her carefully, thinking over the last three times he'd done this. It was a similar pattern. They had sex, then they had a conversation about terms following the agreement.

Why did he feel like crap then? Like he had done something wrong? Sex was sex was sex was sex. He'd fucked his way through half his life and it was a wonder he wasn't carrying at least one STD. Actually, that was probably because of Dean. The other potential downfalls of his stupidity were easier not to think on.

"That's why my forest is being destroyed?" There was the distinctive sound of lighting striking outside the cave.

"The demons want you dead. They're destroying your forest to draw you out."

She bared sharp teeth but said nothing in response, which worried him just a bit. The blood bond worked both ways and if she was keeping quiet there was undoubtedly a reason for it.

"I have to ask. Demons can possess you?"

She flinched, "Not normally. I'm powerful. The way I stay hidden is… difficult. It is actually because of you mentioning Dean that I am trusting you completely. He trained me to cloak myself in a human form. Which is normally not an issue, I was playing with those girls… they were actually my friends." He tried not to think about the fact that he'd just slept with a nymph who was waltzing around as a six your old child when he met her. "When I'm in that form I am mostly powerless. I could have potentially thrown the demon out but I didn't wish to draw attention to myself." She looked down at the ground, tracing a pattern in the dirt in front of her, "The demon possessing me wasn't as terrible as the one in those other girls. They did awful unspeakable things to their vessels, Amri simply took me over. He didn't purposefully harm me, the cruelest thing he did was attack that angel which I didn't see an issue with. He planned on releasing me until he was caught. Then he hoped I would be killed because of what that angel did to my body. He tried to get the both of us killed. Instead your brother returned that demon to Hell and I was free."

"You were angry."

"That angel friend of yours murdered my friends." She stated bluntly.

"I wouldn't call him a friend. More like an ally." Gabriel offered, which was true. Balthazar definitely wasn't a friend, he had admitted he didn't want to be there.

"Point stands. I saw you with him and assumed the worst. Hunters and angels slaughtered my family, all but me. I was saved by a god who knew a lot about angels. I almost didn't want to live. All of them were dead except me. Dean saved me, though he held a female form back then and was known as Artemis."

"Wait." He stared at her, bug eyed, "He was… a _she_?"

She smiled, "To a human I suppose that is a strange concept. To creatures like myself, gender doesn't matter. I do not actually show my real form when seducing a human. I take on physical aspects that may lure in that human. It's mostly illusion. When I'm angry less of the illusion shows." She paused, tilting her head curiously. "It is curious that you didn't realize that. Perhaps…" Her form flickered and suddenly he was no longer staring at a woman but a very attractive man. A very attractive familiar man.

 _Ah fuck._

It was Sam. Without a doubt her male form had taken almost a perfect replication of the angel that he had decided he _wasn't_ going to pursue. Her form flickered again and he was staring at a woman again. The ghost of the image was still there and his heart was pounding in his ears.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He choked out. _Damnit._ "I'm fine. It's just…" He'd just slept with a woman that was wearing the illusion of a female Sam. _Damnit._ He had no right to that. Now that thought was going to be burned into him. All the amazing things they'd done… even if it wasn't him… it was wrong. He had no right. Unless he saw it as a dream, a very… vivid dream.

Frowning, she took his hand from between them and squeezing it gently. "I can't leave my home unguarded, Gabriel." She said, clearly trying to change the subject.

He latched on and closed his eyes, considering their options. There had to be something they could do to protect this forest from demons. Even if they successfully ended the construction project, there was the matter of the demons getting impatient and just blatantly burning it down.

"Do you have any idea how they found out you were here?"

She bit her lip, "I threw a fit a few months back. It caused a tornado to tear across the edge of town and a hail storm. Very few creatures give off those specific signs."

How the _hell_ had no hunter caught wind of something like that?

"I have very specific wards in place to veer Hunters away." Arbor answered the unspoken question. "I don't like killing. I suppose it doesn't work on demons."

It wasn't wind of a hunt that brought them here but information from Dalara. That was a possibility… What if they could ward it from demons as well?

"How do you have the town warded?"

"Underground vines. They took a lot of energy to create but I was able to manipulate the growth of certain plants to ward off angels and divert Hunter attentions from this area."

"If I gave you a demon ward could you set it up?"

She bit her lip and looked away, "I would need the assistance of a Pagan god. I don't generate enough energy on my own. What I did earlier… it was stupid but I was angry. It ate up a lot of my energy. To setup another ward I would need a god's assistance or to send a sacrifice to Pan."

Which was a clear no go. They weren't doing sacrifices.

"Come stay in the motel with us for the night and we'll call Dean tomorrow."

She nodded warily, "Your brother won't harm me?"

"Not at all." He promised.

A devious smile covered his expression as he remembered what she'd said about her appearance. What would she look like to his little brother? Was this Meg really the girl really someone he really found attractive or was it something else entirely?

"Also, I may have broken your phone when I destroyed your clothing." She smiled sheepishly and he pushed to his feet, suddenly uncomfortably aware of his lack of clothing.

"Do you have any clothes for me?"

"I stole some from a nearby home." She walked to the far corner of the cave, gathering some clothes that would probably fit. She tossed them across the cavern and he caught them, pulling them on. Arbor shimmered into that child form again, which was thankfully, fully clothed.

 _Yeah not creepy at all. Another thing on my list of things that never happened._

She wasn't actually a child but…

He shuddered and quickly pulled the sweatpants on shirt on. She was older than him by at least several hundred years.

She led him out of the cave after he was dressed and the entrance vanished behind them, they weren't far from the street actually, he could see the totaled remains of what was once Bobby's truck and he grimaced because he had no idea how to explain that one to him.

 _Monster just destroyed it while nearly killing me. No biggie._

He could hear Bobby's voice now, _If you hadn't been stupid you wouldn't have been in the car with a monster in the first place._

It wasn't his fault that they hadn't known monsters could be possessed.

So they began their walk back to the motel in silence. Complete silence. She didn't speak a word and he really didn't have anything to say. He was drained and tired and very conflicted about the fact that the child walking with him had just blood bonded with him. It wasn't major, other than it made it so they couldn't lie to each other. They could avoid answers but ultimately there were no lies between them. He clenched his hand at his side, cursing himself internally for doing it. What else could he do, though? He'd been panicking? It wasn't terrible, other than the knowledge of her form.

When they arrived at the motel Cas was pissed. Oh, was his little brother pissed. He chewed him out and demanded answers as to why he hadn't answered his phone. Which Gabriel had naturally followed with sharing too much information about what had happened. That had been responded to by his little brother storming out of the motel. He had slumped down on the terrible excuse for a couch and told her to take his bed before he let himself sink into sleep. They'd deal with the rest of this the next day.

That was the night the nightmares returned.

 **So admittedly, this chapter went a completely different direction than I'd planned. Which isn't a bad thing, it just kind of flew away from me. Which is what I always look forward to. I had a lot of fun with Arbor. See you next chapter!**


	12. 11: Chick Flick Moments

Samuel had been in Mexico for over two weeks. To be much more precise he was at the bottom of an old Aztec temple guarding the entrance to a very old underground city. He was not the only angel there but he _was_ the only angel inside the temple. He should have been grateful that he was not dead. He should have been grateful that he was not being locked away in Heaven's prison or that he had not been handed off to Naomi.

Unfortunately, he was none of those things. He was angry, conflicted, and tired. All he wanted to do was fly off to Montana and protect his Soul.

Or maybe it was something else entirely.

The way Gabriel had explained it had him reconsidering everything he had ever been told. Everything he had known for thousands of years. _All of those angels._

That may have been the hardest part of the entire revelation. Not that everything he had known had been wrong. It was knowing that so many of his brothers and sisters had suffered because of a lie.

 _Debriel ran because of it. Lucifer Fell because of it. Raphael is hateful from it._ So many other angels. Ruined by a potential lie.

Lucifer's promises were distant thoughts. Still there, but easier to ignore.

Then there was Debriel. Which he was still struggling to comprehend. Debriel was the first angel most angels ever truly knew. Debriel raised them and taught them all they knew, who they were, what they were, he spoke to them in the place of God. It was why so many angels had spoken so highly of him, if not worshipped him -in secrecy of course-.

It was in that moment of thinking of what his brothers and sisters used to say about Debriel that his Grace flared to life in a warning. _Protect, save, rescue_.

He almost flew. Almost, being the key word. Immediately he opened his link to Balthazar instead, knowing that his brother would be there guarding his Soul.

' _Is everything okay?'_ He questioned his brother, his Grace warning him something was severely _wrong._ He held his wings to his back, making himself stay where he was ordered to be.

It took a moment but his brother did respond, _'Everything's fine. Had a run-in with demons. If you're needed, Gabriel will pray to you.'_

He shifted uncomfortably as his Grace told him something _was_ wrong. Very wrong. He trusted his brother's judgement but…

' _Stop stressing. He's fine. I'm not but he's fine.'_

' _What happened to you?'_

' _Demon got a blade in my wing. Watch out for that. Apparently one of our brothers is spilling secrets.'_

That was exactly what they needed. Demons targeting their wings. Why had Balthazar not warned them?

' _Why have you not told anyone else of this development?'_ He questioned Balthazar.

' _I told Naomi.'_ Was his brother's response.

Samuel frowned at that, considering everything. Something was severely _off_ with the Seraphs.

"Hey, Sammy." He jerked out of his thoughts when his brother, cloaked in that stolen god magic again, materialized in front of him. Absently his elder brother glanced at the roof of the mostly caved in temple before looking past him at the large golden door. "You realize this Seal is a waste of time, right?"

"What are you doing here, Dean?" Sam ignored the question because he had no cares for what the Archangel thought.

"Paying a visit to my favorite brother." Samuel gave him a pointed look and Dean rolled his eyes, "You wanted to talk the other day, I've been busy and every ounce of my power is telling me it's a terrible idea. Now that you know I'm up and kickin' your Grace is reaching for me. Which needs to _stop_ before the wrong Archangel catches wind of it."

Had he been reaching? Actively he restrained all of his Grace into his Vessel, effectively cutting off all lines of communication, excluding Archangels whom he had no power over and Balthazar, for that moment.

"There is something wrong. With the Seraphs."

"It isn't the Seraphs. It's Raphael. Don't worry about them too much, Sammy. Worry about ignoring Lucifer and not getting your ass drug back into Heaven for what you did to Zach."

He watched his brother as he walked across the cavern, looking at the ancient inscriptions on the walls.

"Only a pure mortal can open that gateway. Untainted and pure. Demons can't open it. Maybe your Soul but he's The Righteous Man, no one said he was pure."

Souls. What all of this fell back onto. A question he couldn't ask anyone else in Heaven. Well, he could have asked Hannah but Hannah was in prison at the moment. Dean might have potentially had the answer but... Did he want to know? No, he did not, but he needed to. "Did you know?"

His brother looked over at him, strolling back across the interior of the temple. "That we're all junkies for our Souls? Yeah. The love is different than the addiction." Dean leaned against one of the pillars, crossing his arms. "I don't feel like explaining to my little brother the differences."

Samuel frowned at his brother as he pointedly stared at the opposite wall before taking a different approach, "Did you love your Soul?"

Pause. "I would've Fallen for Elizabeth, Sam. I _tried_ to Fall for her. She died and I couldn't handle it so I did exactly what every one of my little brothers did to Fall. I killed fifty humans before I began to understand that an Archangel doesn't Fall as easily."

"Could you not have done what Lucifer did?" The words left Samuel before he could stop them and his older brother shot him a look.

"Lucifer did something that no one else _can_ do. If Dad was around, I would gladly tell him to fuck off and let him break my wings." As if to prove his point Dean pushed off the pillar and looked up at the ceiling of the cave before he began shouting, the god energy taking life around him with his words, "Hear that Dad! Fuck you! Break my wings as you did with Lucifer and let me Fall! Smite me where I stand!" Silence, Dean smiled bitterly and looked back at his dumbfounded brother before shrugging. "Dad's gone, Sammy. Archangels can't Fall without Him. Maybe if I can stop His Apocalypse He'll be pissed enough to come home. I'm done talking about Souls and Dad. I did have another reason for coming here." Just like that Dean had returned to his casual demeanor, the energy settling down, before looking back at his younger brother.

Samuel shifted uncomfortably, eying his older brother with unease. "What do you need, Dean?"

"I need one of your feathers." Dean stated bluntly and instinctively Samuel stepped back earning an eye roll from his brother. "For a spell. I need the feather of a Fallen-"

"I am not Fallen." Samuel defended quickly and Dean shook his head.

"I need to find a Fallen. I know you aren't Fallen. If you were Fallen your wings would be shedding feathers. I need to find the angel that you named. I need to find Anael."

Samuel pulled his wings closer to his body, as though it was possible to do so, shaking his head. "No. Anael did not just Fall. She ripped her Grace from her Vessel. Even if you can find her, she is human. Not an angel. Without…" He trailed off as Dean pulled a small vial from his pocket, shaking it pointedly in front of him. The vial held twisting and turning energy. Energy rarely seen in such a pure form. No life, no awareness, just energy. _Grace._

"Need your feather so I can track Anael."

"She chose to Fall." The idea of forcing her Grace back into her… It was cruel. It was wrong. She was already going to Hell in death, forcing her to return to being an angel…

"You have two options, Sammy. Either you give me a feather willingly or I pull the big brother card and order you to give it to me."

That… that was… _a choice._ A real choice. Not a choice between Heaven and his Soul. A real decision. Either option ended the same way but it was a prospect. A terrifying prospect. How did one make that choice? Either do something willingly or be forced to do it?

Dean smiled grimly, "I trained you and every other angel and Seraph in Heaven. I regret it because I trained all of you to follow orders. Free Will doesn't mean crap to most of you. Except those tainted by their human Soul. Make a choice. Either give it willingly or make me order you to hand it over."

Samuel opened then shut his mouth, considering what he had just been told carefully. His first reflex was to tell him 'no'. To refuse.

His second was to draw his blade and attack the Archangel.

There was a third choice. "I refuse."

Dean summoned his angel blade, a dark look crossing his expression. Samuel held his ground, stretching his wings behind him in a threat.

"Are we going to do this, Sam? I'll win."

"You will not. In order to win a fight with me you would be forced to expose your grace. A god cannot defeat an angel on its own. Only another angel or a large enough group of demons can."

A brief flash of Grace flickered into his elder brother's eye before vanishing.

"I _could_ just force you to leave this location."

"Not without alerting the nearby angels to your presence. You are hiding, Dean. If anyone discovers you are alive, Raphael will force you to go to Heaven to meld with Samael and train her."

Dean clenched his teeth, shaking his head. "You always were smart, Sam. I'll give you that much. Of course, I should've known that when you saw past the biased views of Heaven towards Anael."

"You-"

"I know all of you, Sam. Remember that brief moment of contact with Anael's Grace before you brought him to Hannah? Try that times a billion. No. More. When I meld with you, I become you for one brief instant and anything that has happened since your arrival becomes part of me. Anael was retrieved by you, you were retrieved by Balthazar, Balthazar was retrieved by Uriel…"

He stopped listening as his brother recited off more angels and who had retrieved them from under The First Tree.

 _Balthazar_ had retrieved him? Balthazar had named him?

Dean trailed off and chuckled without any humor, "Yes. Balthazar brought you to me. It was direct too. No middle man. Which brings me to a point." Then Dean was standing in front of him and, before he could pull them from his reach, his elder brother had a painful grip on his wing earning a startled gasp from him. Despite his attempt to avoid otherwise Dean plucked a single feather from his wing and stumbled back before Samuel could stab him with his readied blade. Dean held up the silvery blue feather with a triumphant grin on his face. "I've got to go, Sammy. Seals to protect, angels to wake up. Piece of advice. Dream walking gives you an equal level with your Soul. Also, this," He snapped his fingers and Lucifer's voice was muffled almost completely. "It's a temporary bind on your Grace that blocks Archangel contact. Mostly. Don't trust Lucifer. I was there when he Fell and _don't_ trust his promises, Sammy. No matter how tempting." Then Samuel was alone and fighting his desire to trail after his brother and demand more answers, and the return of his feather.

"I am sorry, Anael." He apologized quietly to the empty temple.

.-~*~-.

It was about three hours later that he received a prayer from Gabriel. _"Your idiot brother screwed us, Sammy. I am going to bash his skull in with a baseball bat. I kind of need your help."_

That was all it took and he was flying, flying so fast he barely registered his own movements.

Where he landed was familiar. Not something he had seen directly but the concept was the same. _A jail._

The second he touched the ground his Soul reached out and refueled his Grace, he basked for a moment in the power before his eyes met Gabriel's. Gabriel was sitting on the edge of a bed with Castiel asleep behind him.

 _Where is Balthazar?_

"Hey, Sam. Mind helping us out here?" His gaze slid across the cell, taking into account the very limited number of objects.

"What happened? Where is Balthazar?"

"Not here. We really need to leave. _Now._ " He strolled to the bedside, touching the two Hunters' shoulders and flying them to what he knew was a safe location.

Bobby Singer's home. They all landed in the living room, it was a messy landing that resulted with Gabriel half laying on top of a now wide awake Castiel whose landing on the coffee table had been harsher than his intentions. Castiel cried out in pain and immediately Samuel used his Grace to heal any of the brothers' injuries.

"What in the hell!" Came Bobby's voice from the study followed by the sound of a gun cocking.

Samuel rose to his feet, stretching his wings out and looking around the room, searching for any danger that may have followed.

"Hey, Bobby." Gabriel laughed weakly and Samuel looked over again to see his Soul climbing to his feet. "Long story involving demons and asshole angels not cleaning their messes up."

' _Balthazar, where are you?'_

 _'Currently I am sitting in the back of a police car with a nymph that wants my head on a platter.'_ Not the answer he had expected. _'Mind giving us a lift, little brother?'_

Samuel was not supposed to be here, he was supposed to be in Mexico. So far no one was aware of his absence but when they did recognize it he would be in more trouble than he already was.

Either way, he followed the link to his brother and landed in the middle of the back of a police car, the creature next to him shrieked at his sudden appearance and he rested his hands on each of them before returning to Bobby Singer's home with the two passengers.

He stumbled back from his brother and stared in conflicted horror at the sight of his brother's wing, it was mending, but still broken. The normally beautiful browns and greys of Balthazar's feathers were spread out, covered in the golden blood of an angel, and missing from the area around the hole in his wing. The appendage drooped weakly and instinctively he wanted to destroy whatever had harmed his older brother.

"Don't bug out on me, Sam. I'll live." His brother pulled the broken limb closer to his body, looking to the side where the nymph they had taken with them was stumbling back towards the wall, eyes wide with fear and panic.

"Take me back! Take me back! I have to go home! I have to protect it!"

The nymph's inhuman eye slits met his and she hissed at him, baring sharp teeth before launching herself across the room. Just as he drew his blade to defend himself Gabriel jumped between them, grabbing the nymph by the shoulders and shoving her backwards. She made a strangled sound and hissed again. The vines that made up her body stretching out behind her in preparation to attack his Soul.

"He took me away! Gabriel, he had no right! None!"

When Samuel attempted to push past him, Gabriel pointedly moved between him. His Grace was not seeing this nymph as a threat. It was the only thing keeping him from killing her. "He won't harm you. He'll take you home. Just… give us a minute to talk things out." She hissed again at his Soul but did not make another move to strike.

"Blood bonding, Gabriel? Really?" Balthazar's tone was taunting, knowing, and Gabriel flinched as the mention.

Samuel went rigid as that little piece of information sunk in. A blood bond was a simple ritual and, in reality, could be a lot worse. However, it was pagan magic. Pagan magic generally involving sex and blood exchanges. Something twisted deep in the put of his stomach and he was forced to send his blade away before he did something that he had no right to do. There was no reason for jealousy, Gabriel was his Soul but the point still stood that they were nothing more than allies, maybe friends.

Stepping back, he forced himself to calm down. The nymph backed to the wall again, shifting uncomfortably as she flicked her gaze across the room.

Samuel turned to take in the sight of the rest of the room, Balthazar had settled into one of the couches. Castiel was sitting next to him though he was at the furthest point of the couch he could reach. Bobby was standing behind the couch closest to the study, glowering at Gabriel.

"Another blood bond, Gabriel? Didn't we _just_ discuss this? Selling yourself out to every monster you encounter?"

Gabriel jerked around, glaring at his younger brother. "What can I say? When you have a very pissed off nymph an inch from your throat you tend to not think things through. Yes, I blood bonded her so she'd listen to me about the end of the world, yes, I fucked her, anymore questions? No? Good." The older brother moved his attention to Balthazar. "You left the bodies there."

"I couldn't fly, dimwit. Yes, I left them. I didn't see you jumping to suggest that we _move_ them."

This situation needed to be dealt with before someone ended up hurt. Especially when Balthazar looked half ready to kill.

"Everyone back up for ten seconds." Bobby's voice drew everyone's attention. "I want to know what just happened, why my coffee table is broken, and why the hell _that_ looks a lot like my dead wife." The old Hunter was glowering at the nymph with distrust.

There was a long lethal silence from the two hunters.

It was actually the nymph that broke it, "In this form I take on the appearance of what someone desires the most." She shifted uncomfortably then her form rippled to that of a young child. She looked completely human, no trace was left of the creature he knew she was… that was… impossible.

"Wait, she's-Gabriel you…"

"Fuck off." Was Gabriel's instantaneous response before his brother could finish saying what he was going to say.

"You sure seemed perfectly content telling me you screwed the nymph but decided to leave out that you blood bonded her with her _and_ she was the _kid_ that we had just saved?"

"I am not a child." The girl defended from her place on the wall.

"Cas, leave." The younger brother jerked his attention to Bobby when he spoke.

"What?" There was hurt in the younger brother's voice.

"You and your brother are goin' to kill each other if you stay in the same room. Go outside and cool off. I'd tell your brother to go as well but seein' as he's the only one that was there for all of it he needs to stick around and tell the whole story."

Castiel opened then shut his mouth, pushing off the couch and shoving his way through the room living and out the front door, slamming it behind him.

' _Sam, you should go back to Mexico before they realize you're gone.'_ He glanced at his brother but made no move to go. This was more important, at least for the time being.

Besides, Balthazar currently was not fit to protect his Soul for him. The only way he would leave was if he was ordered to; even that would be with an argument of some sort.

"Arbor." The nymph jerked its head towards Gabriel, "Sit."

She bared her teeth but did as told, sitting on the floor next to the wall.

"I'm not in the mood to get a lecture about screwing monsters, Bobby."

"I'm not goin' to give you one. Not right now." Gabriel glanced over at Samuel who hadn't moved before settling on the floor, close enough to the nymph to trigger that twist of jealousy in him. "Why is there a nymph in my living room?"

"Demons and a moron angel."

Bobby sighed and finally lowered his gun, setting it on the back of the couch.

"You said she almost killed you." Samuel spoke, carefully, glaring at the nymph for an entirely different reason. "Balthazar, you told me he was safe."

"I thought he would've been smart enough to _pray_ to you if he was doing to die. I _told_ him to do that."

"Sorry if I didn't think about that when I was-"

"Gabe."

His Soul gritted his teeth when Bobby cut him off, "I was panicking. It doesn't matter. I lived."

"What if you had died?" Gabriel turned his attention to Samuel when he spoke, a thousand different emotions crossing his expression in that single moment. A thousand emotions Samuel wished he could read.

"I've thought over what you said, Sammy. I get it. It doesn't change the fact that I'm trying to do the right thing and her death wouldn't have helped the situation."

"You would have died to protect her."

"I was unarmed so I couldn't exactly kill her. But… I wouldn't have killed her unless I had to. She's the last of her species. There has to be a line somewhere. I don't think I could've killed her even if it was an option. However, there _was_ another option. There were other options and I did what I had to."

Samuel glanced at his brother before turning and trailing out the door, done with the conversation for the time being. There were other issues nagging at him, ignoring the way he felt knowing that Gabriel had had sex with the nymph, there were other problems. Balthazar had warned him about the demons attacking their wings but that was words. Seeing the actual damage was something else entirely. The demon had struck straight in the center of the wing. It had hit in the perfect location to stop his brother from flying. If more demons learned how to do that… there would be a serious problem.

' _There they are.'_ A ripple of cries tore across the angels as more Seals snapped. Twenty in succession, one after the other after the other. Despite the barrier Dean had placed in his Grace blocking Lucifer's voice, this came through with ease. A sinking suspicion told him it had to do with the breaking of those Seals. The more that broke, the closer Lucifer was. _'Brothers and sisters, hear me now. Forty Seals broken. If Father did not wish this to happen, would he have allowed me this far? Twenty-six more. Lay your weapons down. Join us. I will be freed. I will grant you your Souls as your reward.'_

"No." He told himself. He could not do that. He could not give in, no matter what.

"You alright, Sam?" Samuel lifted his attention to where Castiel was standing at the bottom of the stairs, he looked uncomfortable. His gaze moving to the front door then back to him.

"I am fine." He lied and the Hunter shook his head.

"Dean was right. Angels are terrible liars."

"Are you going inside?" He did not wish to discuss what was wrong. There was too much wrong. Too many things he did not wish to speak of.

"Not yet. I have been meaning to ask you something." The Hunter paused and sat down on the step, patting the spot next to him. Awkwardly, he joined the Hunter who stared out over the lot for a moment. "Dean told me something. He said I was a True Vessel to an Archangel. He believes it is Lucifer."

That made Samuel pause and stare at the younger Novak with curiosity, searching his Soul. The taint that had once been bound by Dean's god power had spread, it had not overtaken the Soul but it _had_ spread. This was a rumor he had heard briefly but never really thought on. Until now. If Dean had told him that he was Lucifer's Vessel… Despite the fact that he was masquerading as a god, Dean was still Debriel. An Archangel. Archangels _could_ see those kinds of things. Read a human Soul in ways that lower ranks had no hope of.

There was still something wrong with that concept. A True Vessel typically correlated to their angel. Lucifer was evil and corrupt, Grace twisted and broken. Yes, Castiel possessed a tainted Soul but that did not match the level of corruption Lucifer was meant to possess. Castiel was still a considerably pure Soul considering the darkness creeping through it. If he was Lucifer's Vessel… perhaps Dean's meddling had protected him from being a perfect Vessel. Of course, that did not mean he would be protected from Lucifer. If his brother was freed, he would still seek out his True Vessel. Whether or not he would be able to contain him completely or not.

"Sam?"

"I do not think that Dean would have told you that unless it was true."

"What does being a True Vessel mean? That's what I don't understand."

"It is complicated. Simply, it means you are the perfect Vessel for your corresponding angel. Your histories and mentalities would align perfectly, in theory. Actions that your angel would take would correlate with actions you would take. Lucifer was rebellious and impulsive. He was also defiant. His choices ripped Heaven apart. Lucifer Fell for defying Father's orders. When Father told him that he could not revive his Soul, he did something no angel should ever do. He twisted and corrupted his Soul until she was unrecognizable. Lilith became the first demon and Father cast Lucifer to Hell. If you are Lucifer's Vessel, Castiel. It means that Dean's interference changed your course as his True Vessel."

Silence for a couple minutes except for the distinctive sound of Bobby yelling inside. If he had tried, Samuel could have listened to that conversation. Instead he chose to allow them that. His Soul was safe in that house.

"What is being a Vessel like?"

Samuel paused, shifting uneasily. "It is dependent on the angel. My Vessel is currently living a dream life with his ex-wife and children. However, not all of us care about our Vessels. Some of us force our Vessels to live through whatever it is we use them for."

"What would being Lucifer's Vessel be like?"

"It would be dependent on Lucifer. Adam was the first human to host an angel. He was capable of housing any angel in existence. However, Lucifer was the only angel who ever possessed Adam. Up until the day Lilith died, Lucifer treated Adam as an equal. On that day he nearly killed Adam in his anger. I would not expect him to be kind to his Vessel, Castiel. Lucifer has been locked away for a very long time. Thousands of years." Samuel paused when something occurred to him, "Why are you asking me this, Castiel? Lucifer is not speaking to you, is he?"

"No." Castiel said quickly and Samuel eyed him suspiciously, "I don't think so. I mean… I've been having these strange dreams but I don't think it's him."

"What do you see in these dreams?" Pure curiosity. It was possible that Dean had been wrong about who he was a True Vessel for. It was possible that if Castiel belonged to a different Archangel."

"They're… disorienting. I don't know how to explain it. I get these… flashes of blackness and… fear. A lot of fear… and anger."

Samuel considered this, these dreams could still be influenced by Lucifer. A deception to make him seem vulnerable. Or it could be one of his other brothers doing the same. He didn't suspect Debriel in the least, if Castiel had been his True Vessel he would have used their agreement as leverage for a 'yes' all those years ago. That left three potentials. No, four. Samael. Why had he not considered that? Likely it had to do with the concept of five Archangels still being an overwhelming one. It seemed wrong, especially when they had heard nothing on the Archangel since Raphael sent them back to Earth. That was still an option though still heavily unlikely.

"Castiel, whatever you do. You cannot say 'yes'. I do not care who it is. Becoming an angel's Vessel… it's not something I would wish on anyone."

"That's kind of ironic." Castiel pointed out weakly.

Considering his options on how to explain angelic possession without personal experience on being the Vessel, he took context from what he knew about being the possessor. "You were bound to Dean for all of those years. He had you on a leash and could make you do anything he wished at any moment. If he told you to jump off a cliff, you would have been inclined to do it. Think of that for a moment. Now think of this, instead of having an option to back out of the agreement, you are trapped there. Trapped inside your own body, capable of seeing and hearing and feeling everything that happens to it. Only, you have no control, no option to escape. Whatever the angel wishes you to see and feel, you will see and feel. It is not simply something you can change your mind on. Once you have consented, you are trapped with that angel in your body until they choose to leave. It is only when they choose to leave that you can revoke consent."

At those words, Castiel shuddered.

"Possession sounds shitty." Samuel jerked around at his Soul's voice coming from the door. "So, it's true? What Balthazar said."

"It is possible." Was Samuel's answer. What more could he say? His Soul had asked a question and lying would do no good in this situation, especially when he was _very_ bad at it.

Gabriel frowned, looking at his brother with unease. "So, he just has to say 'no' and he can't be possessed?"

"Angels can be cruel, Gabriel. The safer approach would be preventing The Cage from opening." Samuel warned him, because it was the bitter truth.

"If it does open?" Gabriel asked, his Soul flaring with worry as he knelt behind his younger brother.

"I suspect that he will do anything and everything to get consent. When I went to my Vessel, Jared, I told him what would happen and if he had told me 'no' I would have followed the bloodline to find the next option."

"Who was the next in his bloodline?"

Samuel paused, not wanting to answer this question. If he answered this question he knew they would be displeased with him. They would probably be angry. He also would never lie to his Soul. Which meant…

"His ten-year-old daughter by the name of Sarah." He admitted, earning a stunned look from his Soul.

"You would've possessed a kid? No. That isn't the issue. You would've _gone into war_ while riding around in some poor kid? Some kid that barely is old enough to begin to comprehend what the hell she's agreeing to?"

Samuel flinched at the harshness in his Soul's tone. "I did not see it that way at the time, Gabriel. I could not inter-"

"Arbor wanted to talk to you, Sam." Gabriel cut him off before he could finish his weak excuse. When he had taken Jared, he had not thought twice about it. The prospect that he may have had to take on the child hardly mattered for any other reason other than he would not be of a proper age for his Soul. That was then, before he'd begun to understand the basics of humanity. Isolating himself in Heaven had left him at a major disadvantage of understanding. Now he understood and all he wished to do was find a way to explain it to Gabriel without sounding weak and helpless. " _Go._ "

Samuel flinched and stretched his wings before travelling the short distance into one of the spare bedrooms upstairs in the house, Arbor was still donning that human mask, sitting with her legs crossed on the floor. It was strange, seeing her like that and knowing what she actually was.

"You wished to speak with me?"

She nodded once, her gaze running across him before she spoke, "It's your form I take. In his eyes, it's you."

"What are-"

"That Hunter is attracted to you. Well, your Vessel. Which is a fair assessment." She shimmered and was taken over by her natural form again, all vines and leaves and unsettling black beady eyes. "I want to apologize. I may hate angels but I understand what a Soul is to an angel. I'd never have mated with him if I'd known."

Despite what he was wanted to say, pushing away his temptation to bite out something at her because he was irritated, and jealous, that she had sex with his Soul. Gabriel did not belong to him in that sense and if Gabriel had been correct about the addiction then it was probably better if he never did. His response was carefully worded so he would not come off as harsh, "It was a means to an end on you gaining his trust."

She paused for a moment, shifting where she sat before wrapping her arms around her torso and digging into the ropey vines that made it up. When she removed her hands, there was a small vial of blood.

"Take it." She held it out in front of her and he eyed it curiously. "It's Gabriel's. I stole it from him while he was unconscious. As a safety measure. I trust him, though. I won't need to bind him or anything along those lines." Samuel took the vial and wrapped his fingers around it. "The issue with humans, especially Hunters, is that they don't understand us. They can try all they want to but in the end, they're unable to truly understand us. It's why we don masks that look like them. It gives them the illusion that we are them." Her gaze was gentle, sad, and he took those words in.

Then he flew back to the temple, retaking his position and holding the vial of his Soul's blood tight between his fingers. No one had realized he left.

' _Come brothers. Come sisters. Join me. We are close. So very close. Join me. Join us…'_


	13. 12: How To Piss Off A God

**I realized I screwed up on my mental layout of Bobby's house. I ended up blending his house with the layout of something else I'm working out. It's staying that way unless I ever bothered to fix the story, which I doubt I will do.**

 **For reference, Dean and a couple other angels will always refer to angels as brothers and with he/him pronouns.**

Okay, Gabriel was willing admit that he really shouldn't have gotten angry at Sam for the whole vessel thing. There was just a lot of crap going on.

When he'd come in -out?- on the conversation Cas was having with his angel, he looked like someone had just dropped the weight of the world on his shoulders. Which, admittedly was a pretty fair assessment. Bobby was pissed at him for fucking Arbor, not that it was any of their damned business. He was pissed at himself for fucking Arbor, but only because she'd been wearing the female equivalent to Sam's face. Cas was pissed at him for making another blood bond. Something that, again, was not any of their business. Then of course he was also pissed at Balthazar for not cleaning up the demon possessed kids he'd killed in the middle of the street. Which actually wouldn't have been such a problem if they hadn't been caught on _video._

 _Things used to be so much simpler._

Then of course, the nightmares. He wasn't sure what the hell had started them but suspected it had something to do with watching Balthazar slaughter the demons possessing those kids. Or it was just a mess of all of the things that had happened over the past month. Either way it was crap and he wanted out.

Part of him was tempted to steal one of Bobby's old cars and skip town. Throw away every identity he'd ever used and start a new life as a new man. The issue with that idea was if he left, he wasn't sure he'd ever come back. If he got a taste of a normal life, could he come back to the hell that was his life now? Cas had his guardian archangel turned god, or apparently goddess.

It was so damned tempting though. Get up, leave, and never look back.

 _Damnit._

That was something he couldn't do. He was better than that. At least that was what he wanted to believe. He had to be better than that. The world was ending and his brother was sitting in line to be Lucifer's Vessel. He had to stick by his side.

As he made his way back downstairs after checking on a now sleeping Arbor, a crash in the living room sounded through the house, followed closely by Bobby shouting something indistinctive.

"-no right!" A female voice shrieked, "I was done! I was _free_!" Gabriel was running for the living room before he realized he was moving and was met with the sight of a red-haired woman with her foot on Dean's chest, holding a familiar silver blade to his throat. The two of them were on what was left of the once coffee table.

"Anael-"

"Do _not_ call me that, Debriel!"

Dean flinched, leaned away from her to the best of his capabilities as she pressed the blade further into him. "I won't call you Anael if you swear not to speak that name."

The woman laughed, a harsh broken sound. "Why, _Debriel_? Are you afraid Raphael will hear? Are you scared your brothers will learn that-"

In one sharp movement, Dean grabbed hold of the blade, the two of them twisting in such a harsh sudden movement of limbs and bodies that Gabriel didn't have time to fully comprehend it before the girl was on her back with Dean kneeling on her chest, holding the same blade to her throat. " _Anna."_ A brief pause, "I am trying to stop it. I'm trying to stop _them_. I need your help."

The girl, _Anna_ , _Anael_ , Gabriel remembered Sam talking about her, a fallen seraph. The one he had retrieved from The First Tree. Anna lifted herself slightly, pushing into the blade which Dean pointedly pulled back with her until they were inches from each other's faces.

"Fuck. You." She spat out and Dean visibly clenched his teeth.

"This is serious, Anna."

"Stab me. Kill me. It was what you should have done before you ran. That was cruel, _Brother._ " He flinched, "I risked Falling and you _swore_ to me. You _swore_ I would never have to travel to Earth. You promised me all of eternity."

"I did. I promised you eternity." The blade vanished from his hand and he placed his hand on her shoulder, pushing her back against the floor with limited force. It was intimate and Gabriel felt as though he shouldn't be there. They were angels. _Brother and sister._ "Then I found mine and nothing else mattered. She was my world."

"Then I was nothing." Anna responded harshly, twisting her head so that Dean couldn't meet her gaze.

"You were a distant memory. We were two of eight angels in Heaven who promised eternity to each other. I was the only Archangel who knew of it. The only one that risked the entire balance of Heaven. Each of us risked Falling when we did what we did. Of course, I've learned that I probably couldn't have Fallen for it. But after Liz you were a distant memory. I'm sure you can understand that. You lost yours too."

There it was. A solid confirmation of that sickening thought. Gabriel felt like he might be sick.

"Are you going to try to kill me again if I let you up?" He asked her after a moment of silence.

Anna's response was bitter, "You took my blade. Besides, my blade _can't_ kill you." Dean stood, offering his hand to the red head. Instead of taking it she pushed herself to her feet, turning and eying Gabriel with disdain. "Yet another Soul out to destroy a brother."

"Anna, let it go." Dean told her tiredly.

"It's true." Was her bitter response as she glared at Gabriel.

Finally, Dean met his gaze, clearly catching onto this discomfort. "The only angels in Heaven that can be truly considered brothers are the Archangels. The original four. Samael is… he's something else entirely. We are brothers in arms. Not brothers like you and Cas. Though screwing around with other angels _is_ forbidden. Actually, screwing around with anyone except our Soul is. Which puts me on the heavily damned list if I could ever Fall." Then he was looking up at the ceiling. "Why the hell is Arbor here?" Then Gabriel was alone with a glaring fallen seraph.

"Not talking to my brother's Soul. Don't try." She settled onto the couch and crossed her arms.

When Gabriel glanced past her it was to see Bobby turning out of the doorframe to return to his study without speaking a word.

A few seconds later Dean reappeared in the room with his hand on Arbor's shoulder, who was in her adult form again, eyes slightly droopy from the sleep she had just been in.

"Gross." Came Anna's voice and Arbor turned to hiss at her, baring sharp teeth that definitely were only that sharp when she was about ready to kill.

"Go rot, angel." Arbor growled out angrily, suddenly wide awake.

"Make me, sweetheart." Debriel grabbed the nymph's arms and restrained her before she could launch herself at the red headed angel.

"This is _not_ helping, Anna." Dean pulled Arbor to the opposing wall, Arbor glaring menacingly across the room at Anna.

"What can I say? I don't want to be here. I was living a perfectly functional _human_ life and now my parents are _dead_ and courtesy of _you_ I have to remember _everything_ I ripped my Grace out to forget."

Dean and Anna locked eyes for a moment before they peeled their gazes away from each other. "Sit." Dean ordered and Gabriel glanced at him as he settled next to Arbor, the nymph curling into his side absently, before he crossed the room and settling into the other couch. "I'm going to take a wild guess that Nex sent you to Montana to keep her alive?"

"Ten points to Dean-o." Gabriel responded without much thought. His eyes were on Arbor who had rested her head on Dean's arm, her entire form looked smaller next to him. As though she was making herself smaller to allow the Archangel disguised as a god to be the bigger being.

"It doesn't explain why she's so far from her forest."

"Balthazar." Was his one, bitter word of response, Dean made an irritated sound and Arbor twisted slightly, moving so that she was looking up at Dean.

Dean barely seemed to notice the way the nymph was staring at him, instead addressing Gabriel, "Where's the little gnat?"

"Flew off when his wing healed." Gabriel told him bluntly, trying not to think of how pissed he was at the angel for the mess.

"Alright. Angel drama. I'll deal with that later." Finally, Dean moved his attention to Arbor, addressing the still staring nymph. "What's the exact issue?"

"My forest's being destroyed by demons. We were going to summon you. I need your assistance." Arbor responded warily.

Dean frowned, the air flickering to life with energy. "They shouldn't be able to see you."

"They can't. Not in my second form. They possessed me while I was in it and know where I was staying. They couldn't find me from the warding so they're having the town kill my forest instead. I need to ward the whole town against demons, not just angels and Hunters."

"Which means you need more energy." Dean groaned and leaned back, hitting his head against the wall.

Anna snickered, "Oh isn't that rich?"

"Anna." Dean snapped his gaze to the red head who was smirking.

"He doesn't have enough god power to help you. Used most of it in finding me to shove my Grace, that I _didn't_ want, back inside me."

Dean visibly relaxed and Gabriel suspected that Arbor didn't know Dean was an angel. Which left the question of how Anna had known but it wasn't worth asking. There were bigger issues at hand if Dean couldn't help Arbor. They'd been relying on Dean as a way to help power up Arbor. Without that as an option…

"We're calling Loki." Dean stated decidedly.

"What?" Gabriel stared at Dean as if he'd grown a second head.

"I'd say Thor but he kind of wants my head on a stake. I stole his hammer and sold it to Pluto about twenty years ago."

"We're not calling another god in." Gabriel told him with less conviction than he felt. The reality was that he understood where the archangel was coming from. That didn't mean it was a good idea.

Dean pushed himself to his feet. "Loki liked the nymphs before the angels wiped them off the map and he likes you and your brother. We have a bit of an advantage since he's in line to end the world of his own accord. It's all hands on deck, Gabriel."

"Loki doesn't _like_ me, Dean." Gabriel protested, because while they might've been blood bonded, it was a convenience thing, not a thing done because the two of them actually got along.

"Dean, take me away from here. I am not going to-" Anna's voice was cut off and she shot a hostile look at Dean. Something told Gabriel he'd cut her voice off, something Dean had done to him multiple times in the past.

"I'll be back in a minute. Get the stuff for the summoning." Then Dean and Anna disappeared and Gabriel groaned, not at all looking forward to this.

.-~*~-.

An hour later Gabriel, Cas, and Arbor were gathered in the small woodsy area not far from the salvage yard with Gabriel's candy stash sitting on top of a chair they'd drug from the house. In front of the chair was the bowl with the various items they needed for the summoning as well as several candles to light the dark sky. Dean had explained that if he just snapped up the objects it wouldn't have been as much of an offering so they'd had to do the manual labor on it. Well, that and he was basically out of god magic which meant he was stuck doing things the human way for a bit. Then there was the other fact that while Loki didn't want him dead like Thor did, he didn't particularly like him either which meant that it was better if he didn't stick around.

Cas and him shared an uneasy look before he stepped forward and recited the old Norse incantation.

The moment the words finished leaving his mouth, the world around him flicked away and he was somewhere that was _wrong_.

 _Fuck._

"Gabey!" A figure shimmered into sight in front of him as he fell flat on his back and…

 _What the hell?_

The sky above him was so very _wrong_. What would have been clouds in the real world, because this was one of Loki's god forsaken illusions, were replaced with giant human hearts, floating along without a care. The sky in itself was the terrible shade of blood. It looked like a massive lake of blood, no other words could describe what it was.

Then he became uncomfortably aware of what he was laying on.

It was soft and wet… felt like meat and… when he pushed up he almost puked at the feeling of his skin sliding across and through it… he couldn't look. He refused to look.

At least he tried not to. He caved. Morbid sickening curiosity making him look. Regret. Oh God did he regret looking. His stomach turned over on itself at the sight.

Before he could stop himself he was on his knees, dry heaving onto the distinctive sight of thousands of skinned baby corpses beneath him.

 _Fucking Loki._

"Ah, Gabey. I thought you'd have a stronger stomach after your tour in Hell. So very shameful." A shudder rippled across him as he forced himself to his feet, struggling to keep his gaze on the god who was smirking at him, wearing his face. It was so very disorienting to see his own face staring back at him, a cruel and knowing smile on it. "Yes, I heard about your hellish escapades. If a blood bond is broken by death I feel it, now, for it to return… that's a trick I have yet to experience. Of course, your miracle survival isn't why you're here, now is it?" Loki shimmered and then he was staring at an inverted version of himself, _Damnit._ Loki had played with both him and Cas when they'd encountered him the first time. Used their own faces to play up paranoia until Cas had almost killed him thinking that he was Loki.

"I want to ask a favor." He managed to get out around the twisting in his stomach.

Something flashed through those lethal eyes, "Of course you do. Didn't I tell you I don't do favors for Hunters?"

"You let us live." He pointed out, a tad bit hopeful that the god actually liked them and that he hadn't just pissed him off by summoning him.

Loki pursed his lips in consideration, "Only because you had something that I was interested in. I've taken what I wanted from you." The god flickered away and reappeared centimeters in front of him causing Gabriel to take a step back out of reflex. "Tell me why exactly you summoned me and I'll consider letting baby bro live." Then Loki shimmered into an inverted version of his brother.

Gabriel went rigid, "Where is my brother?"

Loki smiled innocently, a dark look in his eyes, "Talk now, Gabey. Talk now and talk fast."

Gabriel rushed out, suddenly very worried for his brother's safety. "I need you to power up a nymph."

That made Loki pause. "That's impossible." He held up a finger to Gabriel's lips before he could object. "Apparently it's not impossible. Just highly unlikely. You can't lie to me which means you have something that may or may not be a real nymph." Loki flickered to an entirely different form that Gabriel almost didn't recognize, until he did. If the situation wasn't so terrifying, he might've been perplexed at the sight of Tom Hiddleston standing in front of him. "Tell you what, Gabey. I'll take a peek. If she's the real deal, I'll consider helping." Then Loki snapped his fingers and they were back in that forest.

Cas was missing and Arbor was sitting on the ground, when she spotted Loki she made a small sound that was almost a shriek. Loki's eyes lit up with a dim glow in the darkness, candlelight flickering off of his farm. "So, you aren't all dead." Loki snapped his fingers again and suddenly Gabriel was pinned to a tree, something putting pressure on his vocal cords so he couldn't speak. "Alright, Gabey. I'll bite." Loki snapped his gaze away from Arbor, grabbing the bowl of candy off the chair and settling into it, lounging back and perching his legs on an invisible surface. "Before you ask, baby bro is fine. Currently in my own rendition of BunnyRanch." A wicked look in Loki's eyes told Gabriel it wasn't anything good, no matter the implication. "What do I get out of this deal? Don't get me wrong. I can power up a nymph. That's grade school magic. Easy as pie, which has me curious why your pal Dean isn't helping. That doesn't particularly matter though. Why would I when I could just take her to my own private little collection to bring out to play when I please?" He waved his hands over the bowl before reaching in and grabbing a handful of the candy, now unwrapped, and shoving it into his mouth. Again, he flickered back into the inverted version of Gabriel, humming softly around the candy.

Gabriel felt his vocal cords open again and was talking before he realized the words were leaving his mouth, "Fuck you, Loki! Give me my brother back and we'll talk!" Loki paused in his chewing, tilting his head and pouting.

"That isn't the right answer, Gabey. Try again, this time. With more flare." The ground beneath his feet caught fire and instinctively he jerked away from it but couldn't do much except twist his feet awkwardly in hopes that he wouldn't catch fire. "Next time you summon me; you should do it when I'm _not_ occupied otherwise. Which basically equates to, you _shouldn't_ do it. One more time, Gabey. Next time I'm going to light _you_ on fire and take her off to my little slice of paradise."

Gabriel swallowed heavily and hit his head back against the tree trunk, shutting off the fact that inches beneath his feet was burning. Cut off the heat of the fire and how it licked against his feet in all too many painful ways. He'd suffered worse. He could handle this. "Arbor is a seal on Lucifer's-"

" _That_ excuse for an Apocalypse?" Loki snorted, cutting Gabriel off in the midst of his explanation, his form flicking to a non-inverted Cas. "We all know I'm going to assist in the end this planet. Ragnarök will be The End."

"If the angels do it first, it won't be." Gabriel gritted out, glowering at the god. "The Christian Apocalypse is here and now, Loki. Not your damned kids making the powerplay of the century."

Loki pursed his lips in consideration, looking back at Arbor. "I could still kidnap her. She would be safe if I took her."

"Not if my forest is destroyed." Arbor spoke softly, speaking for the first time since his arrival.

Loki's expression lit as he eyed her thoughtfully, flickering back to Gabriel's appearance. "So, she speaks. I was beginning to think you were just a pretty little collection of vines and leaves. I am not quite convinced." He flicked his gaze back to Gabriel and the fire beneath his feet went out, allowing Gabriel to relax just a bit. "I am, however, convinced of your cause. The Judeo-Christian Apocalypse must not come to pass. That's clear. But I'm not convinced to assist you. What price are you willing to pay to protect those seals? I have already taken all you yourself can offer. What prize do you wish to offer me in payment for my services?"

Gabriel opened then shut his mouth. What could he offer him? What payment could he hand him that he couldn't get on his own.

It was Arbor that spoke, "My lord." Loki looked back at the nymph, "I will offer myself to you. For protection of my home and myself, I will offer an eternity of my service."

Gabriel opened his mouth to tell her _no_ , to tell her _not_ to do that, but he couldn't speak again. He shot Arbor a pleading look.

"Who says I want that, you little tree?" Loki questioned, flickering back to Tom Hiddleston's appearance.

"Intellect, my lord." Arbor smiled slightly, "From the moment you arrived you have planned to help us. Whether rewarded or not, you would help us. My offering is to convenience you."

Loki snapped his fingers and an unconscious, blood covered, half naked Cas, appeared on the ground next to him. Gabriel jerked against his invisible bindings.

"I like you, Arbor. Just for calling my bluff, I'm going to be merciful on the brothers. I'll even let you return to your forest and only call upon you when I need your particular power set. The real deal is so much more interesting." Loki looked at Gabriel and suddenly was standing centimeters in front of him. "Call me again, Gabriel, and I will _not_ assist you. I will _not_ be merciful. I will lock you in an eternal rerun of all my favorite snuff films and leave you there to die in all those beautifully terrible ways."

With a snap of fingers Gabriel was falling to the forest floor and crawling across it to Cas' side, Loki and Arbor gone.

He shook his brother rapidly, trying to get him to come to. After a few shakes his brother jerked upright, throwing a punch that, had Gabriel not seen it coming, nearly caught Gabriel right across the jaw. His brother was looking around frantically, eyes wild with fear, confusion, and panic.

"Cas. Cas, look at me." Cas blinked several times, meeting Gabriel's gaze before he launched himself into his arms, breaking into hysterical -what Gabriel first thought was crying- but he quickly realized was laughter.

"They were… oh my gosh…" His brother pulled away, staring at him with still fear filled eyes but he had a massive grin on his face.

 _What?_

"I don't know whether to be disturbed or find it hilarious… it was…"

"What the hell was Loki's BunnyRanch?"

Cas wiped tears from his eyes, "Lots of naked women… well mostly women. There were men too… They had rabbit tails and bunny ears… they were…" His brother trailed off and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Why the hell are you covered in blood?" He demanded, what the hell had happened?

"Blood?" His brother blinked and looked down at himself, a frown appearing on his face. "There was no violence. I believe Loki only wished to make you think I was in danger."

Gabriel groaned and fell back against the forest floor, staring up at the sky, basking in the sight of real clouds and real sky.

"What did he do to you, Gabriel?" Cas asked, now sounding a bit uneasy.

"He's going to help Arbor protect her home." Avoiding the question was easier than talking about it.

"That doesn't answer the question."

Gabriel would never be able to get the images of those skinned babies from his mind. That sight was worse than anything in Hell. He hoped to God that they had all been illusions, an illusion world to punish some unsuspecting person that Loki had just used to screw with him.

"We talked, he took Arbor, and he threatened to kill me if I ever called him again." Cas gave him a look that almost begged him to tell him the rest. He couldn't. "I'm not telling you the rest. The rest doesn't matter."

"Okay." Cas said simply after a moment of searching him before he pushed himself to his feet and offering his hand. Gabriel took it, allowing his younger brother to pull him to his feet. "You mentioned earlier that Dean brought another angel?"

Gabriel nodded as they began the trek back to the house, not bothering with the chair. Loki had taken the candy with him when he left. They could get the chair later. "Anna. Her name is Anna."

"Why did he bring her?"

"Said he needed her help. Honestly, I've got no idea."

"You didn't ask?"

"There were other problems like the blade she was holding to his throat."

"What?"

"Apparently they were ex-lovers or some crap." Gabriel tried, and failed, to keep the disdain from his voice. That prospect still seriously bothered him, even with Dean's explanation. "You know, it's a bit disconcerting that you agreed to summon Loki with me without having a clue _why_ I was doing it."

"I liked Loki." Cas shrugged casually, "In case you didn't notice, when we encountered him he mostly went after you. It wasn't you who almost shot me."

"You liked him because he almost made you kill me?" Gabriel asked disbelievingly and his brother smiled over at him cheekily.

"I liked him because he didn't try to murder _me_."

Gabriel reached over, smacking him in the back of the head. "You can be such an ass sometimes."

"It's an acquired skill." Was his brother's response.

.-~*~-.

They bickered, lightheartedly, all the way back to Bobby's. It was easy and light, allowed Gabriel to think about anything not related to the world Loki had drug him to.

To Gabriel's honest surprise, the house was empty when they got back. Actually empty.

Bobby had left a note in the kitchen telling them he was heading to Minnesota to meet up with Rufus on a wendigo case. They weren't allowed to eat all the food and if the table wasn't fixed when he got back he'd be pissed.

Which left him and Cas to figure out what to do.

Well that was a lie, the first thing Gabriel did was send Cas to town to get him a new phone. The second thing he did was break into Bobby's liquor. No, he didn't like the heavier crap. Not on a normal day. Actually, not on any day. Not anymore. It had been several years since he'd drank like he was planning. Bobby had broken him of the habit.

Tonight, things were different. Tonight, he had only one goal by breaking into his adoptive father's whisky. Well maybe two, the first was to get _drunk_. Truly drunk. He would drink enough that he didn't have to _think,_ _e_ nough to stop him from having to remember that the damned world was ending, enough so that when he slept he didn't have to risk the nightmares of Hell that he _knew_ would come.

The first drink burned like Hell and left his insides raw and tender, but it was what he _needed_.

 _Screw the glass._

He took the bottle, humming a random tune to himself as he headed upstairs and into the spare bedroom, settling onto the crappy bed and staring up at the ceiling before taking another swig.

 _Fuck._

He shook his head and clenched his free hand into a fist.

It was around the point that three quarters of the bottle was gone that he started praying. Something he knew in the back of his mind was a _very_ bad idea but honestly didn't care about in that moment. All that mattered was

"Heya, Smmy… I knowsat yur kindsa pissed a me…" Clearing his throat he fell back onto the mattress, "Imma dick. Were re-"

"Gabriel." He barely reacted at the sound of Sam's voice filling the room, rolling over slightly to see his angel, _My angel. He's my angel, whether it's real or not_ standing by the wall, watching him uneasily.

"C'mere, Sammy." He hummed softly, shaking the bottle towards him.

"You are drunk." Sam acknowledged stupidly.

"Very much so. C'mere. Lay wi me. Jus a bit."

"No, Gabriel."

Gabriel pouted and pushed into a sitting position, struggling to angle himself so that his legs were dangling off the side of the bed. "Yknow youre hot, righ? Youre also awes…" Gabriel trailed off, the word not wanting to piece itself together. Then he met his angel's eyes who were watching him closely. "I shouldna gotten mad. Cmere. Plse." He set the bottle off to the side on the mattress, ignoring the feeling of the liquid spilling out over the edge of the bed, and held out his arms uncoordinatedly.

Sam searched him for several moments before crossing the room, stopping just in front of his knees. "You should sleep."

"Don wanna." He muttered and grabbed for the angel's arms. Sam was quicker, on alert. _An Angel Of The Lord._ _His_ angel grabbed his wrists and held them between them. They were so close. So damned close. Gabriel wanted to kiss him, so damned much. Just a couple inches…

"I'm going to burn the alcohol from your system."

Gabriel attempted to jerk away from the contact, unsuccessful, pleading with his eyes and a jumbled mess of words, "DondoitpleaseInee-"

Too late, just like that he felt something prickling across and through his skin, then he was on high alert and Sam was searching him with an emotionless mask.

"Why did you do that?" He demanded, no real heat in the words. Not like he wanted… The angel made no move to let go of his wrists, watching him closely, looking through him at his damned soul again without a doubt and Gabriel was pissed but also…

 _Fucking Hell._ Or not. Definitely not. Maybe… _No._

"Hell is haunting your dreams." Sam finally pieced together the secret he had been keeping from everyone, and doing a damn good job of it in his opinion.

Unfortunately with Sam, it was all there, and there was no point in denying it. That had been the whole point of him drinking.

No. He shouldn't have prayed. He had no right to do that. But it had been done and now Sam was standing inches in front of him and some twisted part of his mind was reminding him that if he stood up he could kiss the damned gorgeous angel. _No. I will_ never _stoop that low._

"I can help you with the dreams." Gabriel turned his head away so he doesn't have to see Sam towering over him, tempting him to do something so damned stupid, something he had been _so close_ to doing.

"Let me go." Sam did as told, though he made no move to move away. _Too damned close._

"Gabriel, listen to me for a moment. I am your Guardian. Your Soul is a gift to me from my Father. Even if I do not love you as I was made to believe. I do care and it is my responsibility to help. Let me help you."

Gabriel lifted his eyes to see Sam's gaze burning into him. _I have a guardian angel. Fucking Hell._ "Okay." He heard himself agreeing before it fully registered with him that he was talking. _Wait._ "Hold on." He grabbed Sam's hand as he reached up to touch his face with the other, fighting every damned instinct in him. Sam blinked at him, curiosity in his expression and… was that longing? No, that wasn't where this was going. "I did have a reason for praying to you, Sam. I wanted… I needed to ask something."

Memories of Arbor in front of him, beneath him, _fucking hell she_ _was_ _wearing Sam's face_. He'd known since they met that he was attracted to the angel. That damned nymph had just made it all infinitely worse. There was another aspect, one that left him wanting to flee. Sam believed that he was in love with him, which was crap. That wasn't how the world worked. But it also made it hard to leave things where they were.

"I have told you before, you can ask me anything."

Gabriel groaned and broke the physical contact to rub his hands over his face. "This entire thing is a mess. It's bullshit. I want… no, I need to make this work. Self-restraint is _not_ one of my virtues…"

"What are you asking, Gabriel?" Sam asked warily and _damnit_ this was not coming across like he wanted it to. At this point, he wasn't sure he actually _knew_ what his point had been.

"I don't know anymore. I just…" Giving up, he fell back on the mattress. "I need to sleep. Forget I said anything."

His angel sighed softly and brushed a hand against his leg. Seconds later darkness engulfed him.


	14. 13: Candy Shops and Angel Talks

When Castiel returned to Bobby's it was to find that Gabe was passed out drunk in the spare bedroom. Part of him was irritated, but it was more to do with the fact that they were wanted by the police for the murder of those girls and their escape from jail than that his brother had drank himself into oblivion.

He was having his own issues, issues he refused to bring to the light, issues that he would handle on his own. When he'd talked to Sam about the dreams he'd been having he had embellished the details just a bit, embellished what was happening. If he told anyone the truth… well there were bigger problems at hand than what was happening to him. He could handle the strange dreams and the anger. All he had to do was be mindful of it.

After he stepped into the living area he put Gabe's new phone on the charger and settled into the couch, trying hard not to acknowledge the destroyed coffee table.

 _Come on, Cas. You've got this._

In that moment Dean appeared with a red-haired woman in tow. Cas glanced at Dean, feeling that anger boiling beneath the surface. Rather than surrender to it he made himself think over the situation rationally. Despite everything, Dean had been trying to protect him and the world. It was screwed and completely selfish but what he'd done, he'd ultimately done for the good of the world.

"Hey, Cas."

"Dean." He acknowledged as his eyes wandered to the red headed angel.

"I get you're pissed at me. Which pretty much summarizes everyone in this house. I'm not in the mood to argue with-"

"I am not going to do this, Dean. What you did, it was unforgiveable. But I don't care. I really don't. You did what you thought you had to, which wasn't what you should have done. It changes nothing and I don't care."

Dean opened then shut his mouth, staring at Castiel with a bit of a dumbfounded look.

"A lot more forgiving than I am." The red headed woman settled into the other couch and crossed her arms over her chest.

"How many times are we going to have this argument, Anna?" Dean groaned and leaned against the wall. So _this_ was Anna.

"As many as it takes to burn it into your brain that you ruined my life. I was _human_. I was _free_. I was living a _human_ life-"

"Then you started hearing the devil and your family died. I get it. I fuck people up. Though I had nothing to do with any of that crap. How about we forget about how much shit I've done and focus on the shit I'm trying to stop from happening?"

Castiel smiled slightly, looking at the archangel. "And the selfish reasons you're doing them for?"

"Now you've got it." Dean grinned at him, snapping his fingers. A jukebox appeared in the corner and _Highway to Hell_ came pouring out of its speakers.

"Could you possibly have-"

"Don't you start in on my music taste, Anna."

Sighing in exasperation she leaned back in her seat before, "I vote alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol."

"Well since you didn't insult me-"

"If you're going to use those God forsaken Pagan powers might as well be useful." Anna interrupted him with a smirk.

"Don't insult the Pagans, Anna." Dean told her without any real seriousness before snapping his fingers.

Cas rolled his eyes as the broken coffee table repaired itself and the wall with the TV was replaced by shelves of varying forms of liquor. Next to it was a locked cabinet with a giant warning stamp that said _'No Humans or Fallen Angels.'_

"Bobby's going to kill you for sending his TV away."

"It'll be back before he knows it was gone. Now live a little, Cas." Dean strolled over to the 'No humans or Fallen Angels' cabinet and snapped his fingers before opening it and turning to face them. Anna rose to her feet and ambled over, grabbing one of the vodka bottles.

"I say we have a drinking contest." She announced as she set the bottle on the table, eyes lighting up with mischief.

"I'm in." Dean chimed in and both fallen angel and hunter shot him a look that said 'hell no'.

"Maybe if you weren't in your True Vessel."

Dean paused as he grabbed one of the glasses, turning his full attention to Anna. "Is that how you knew I was me?"

"I heard whispers that True Vessels correspond to their angels in physical aspects as well as life stories. For example, I know Gabriel upstairs is destined to play Vessel for Michael." Dean stared at her as if she'd grown a second head and she sighed in exasperation as she slumped back into the chair. "You are nearly stupid, Dean. Do you not recognize those eyes?"

Dean opened then shut his mouth before opening it again, "Michael's wings. How the hell did I miss that?"

"Wait, Gabriel is _Michael's_ vessel?" Castiel finally spoke up, more confused than he'd been in a long time. "As in… _The_ Michael, Heaven's greatest warrior…"

"More like lead commander of Heaven's armies. Not that he really commanded much. It was mostly a title. Debriel trained the soldiers for his ever-growing army. Of course, when there's no war to fight what's the point?" Anna explained, Dean flinching slightly at the use of his Archangel name.

"But True Vessels are supposed to correlate with their angels… Gabriel isn't… he isn't a warrior, not a commander, he doesn't take responsibility at all. The second that dad died he tried to get rid of me."

"Which fits with the confusion that you're supposed to be Lucifer's Vessel. It doesn't exactly make sense. Unless you have a certain vengeance-"

"He's supposed to be Lucifer's?" Anna interrupted, her gaze resting on Castiel and searching him, Castiel looked away from her and reached over, grabbing the bottle off the table and leaning back, taking a drink out of it and staring pointedly into the clear contents.

"His Soul is tainted and he's a True Vessel. Unless there's something we don't know about Raphael, he's gotta belong to Lucifer."

"Lucifer's wings were brightest. That's why all of Heaven looked down on me. His eyes, his hair, it's all dark. It doesn't match up."

"Lucifer Fell, Anna. His feathers would have blackened after Dad broke his wings. I won't doubt for a second that Cas isn't his."

Anna sighed audibly, "My wings didn't blacken. My feathers fell out but they didn't-"

"You _aren't_ an Archangel, Anael." Dean bit out and Anna flinched. Dean groaned and returned his focus to pouring himself a drink. "Let's not do this. I'm done talking about Heaven. I'm done talking about my brothers."

"Fine. Cas, how about we see which of us can hold our liquor better?"

Castiel raised his gaze to Anna who was smiling though it was halfhearted. "I'm not going to drink myself into oblivion on a pointless attempt."

"Fallen Angels are basically human, Cas. She has human level alcohol tolerance."

Castiel looked between the two angels suspiciously before nodding.

Dean grinned, "Awesome." Two shot glasses appeared on the table in front of him and he shared a look with Anna before they began.

.-~*~-.

Gabriel had expected a dreamless sleep or maybe for Sam to figuratively chase the nightmares away and leave him with his own dreams. What he hadn't expected was for Sam to arrive in the dream.

Well, Gabriel hadn't known it was a dream at first. He'd been drifting along in this weird convoluted mess of nonsensical events revolving around TV Shows and him tormenting Dean when the scene had melted into something else entirely.

The sight was familiar, a leveled forest with a single wooden cross in the middle of it. When Gabriel turned around to see if there was anything else he was met with the sight of a large ball of blinding white light with shades of blues and greens mixed into it.

After blinking several times, trying to focus on what he was seeing, light distorted slowly, morphing until it took on the form of the angel. Of his angel. Sam. Sam stood there. _Sam._

Had that been his true form? Had he gotten a glimpse of who Sam truly was?

 _Wait_.

"I'm dreaming." Gabriel realized and Sam nodded once, tilting his head.

"I was talking to Dean and he suggested this… It is… strange." Sam scrunched his eyebrows, looking him over curiously.

"Being in my dreams? Yeah. That's pretty weird. Even for my life." Gabriel responded, eying the angel.

"No…" Sam cleared his throat and shifted slightly, the air behind him shimmering and Gabriel followed the path of the distortion, the area distorting seeming…

"Are those your wings?" Because apparently in dreams his filter on keeping his mouth shut was worse than when he was awake.

Sam glanced over his own shoulder then back at him. "A manifestation." He stated after a moment. "Your mind is attempting to fully comprehend my true form, which makes you see me as my Vessel. What you're seeing is… a small framework of what would be my wings, in your mind." Not that it really cleared anything up, it was still confusing.

Gabriel watched as the air behind him, shimmered and twisted. The more Gabriel focused, the more what he was seeing became clear. He still couldn't see color, just distorted air, but he could make out the shape of the wings. The way they curved out slightly from behind his back, the way they moved a bit with his angel's breathing, he watched them closely, tracing out the pattern until they rippled backwards and out of sight. Gabriel blinked and looked at Sam to see him watching him uneasily.

"Should I not have been staring?" He asked quickly and Sam smiled reassuringly.

"It is not… isn't that. I am just worried if you see too much it might destroy your senses."

Gabriel nodded hesitantly and watched as Sam's not wings shimmered back to their place behind him.

He'd interrupted him. _Crap._

Sam smiled slightly and Gabriel came to the uncomfortable realization that Sam was _in_ his head. It was likely that he was probably seeing and hearing everything that went through it. "Gabriel, I had a reason for being here."

"Oh. Yeah, right." He was listening but he was also distracted by the distortion behind the angel that he knew was wings. _Jesus Christ._

The distortion moved slightly in a bit of a rapid way and Gabriel knew it had to be his wings fluttering. His mind was making them out like a bird, but it was probably a whole lot more.

"Dean told me if I came to you in your dreams I would have an equal level with you. I was unsure what it meant initially but… When I am in your dreams, I do not see your Soul."

Gabriel blinked, taking a second to understand what had just been said.

Suddenly he was very aware of the situation. Of the fact that he was standing a couple feet away from an angel. An angel that had been drugged by his very soul. An angel he'd been attracted to since the moment he arrived in that warehouse. An angel that had believed that he was in love with him until he'd broken the truth to him. _Holy crap._ Sam was _seeing_ him. Something about that…

 _Crap._ _It was so_ _exposing._ _It shouldn't have been. If Sam was seeing him from a base level, just his soul, it should've been more exposing out there because it was just that. His soul. Yet, the idea of Sam seeing_ _him_ _. Gabriel wasn't stupid, he wasn't some damned model or anything like that…_

Sam was smiling slightly with amusement, "Gabriel, you are panicking. It is alright."

Gabriel groaned and slumped to the ground, pulling his fingers through his hair. "It's really not. Damnit, Sammy. None of that is alright. Just because you aren't seeing my soul…"

"It changes nothing, Gabriel. I know _who_ you are. I have seen you at your absolute worst."

 _Hell. He's talking about Hell._

Sam knelt in front of him and the distortion bristled behind him. Gabriel could imagine the way a bird fluffed its feathers out in warning or irritation. "Gabriel, look at me." He did as he was told and Sam rested a hand on his knee, "What you have done does not matter. No one can blame you for that. It was _Hell_. You were meant to break. I was in that place. I went to Hell for you. I would do it again. I would tear apart the very fabric of Heaven if I had to. You _were_ right, I am intoxicated by the power your Soul feeds me. It is highly unlikely that I will never get past that. However, it does not matter. I have seen what you are capable of, I know what you did. But you are trying to make up for something that you had no control over. You risked everything to protect two Seals and save an entire _species_ from extinction. I know what you are, I know what you were, and I know who you're trying to be. You're trying to be a good man. I could never hate you for me being naïve. I could never hate you, even if you were not my Soul." That hand on his knee tightened and Gabriel found himself leaning forward out of reflex, closing the distance until he caved to something baser and reached up, grabbing the angel and pulling him forward. The angel fell with ease, landing in his lap awkwardly.

No. Gabriel did not kiss him. That was a line he wasn't ready to cross. Not with the elephant of Sam's addiction in the room. But he did hug him, he wrapped his arms around the overgrown man that was his angel and held him close. Held on for dear life because even if they could never be anything more, this was safe. This was safe territory. This was _right_. Because Sam was right. What he'd said the night before was right. Sam was his guardian angel, no, _Guardian Angel_ , because that was important. It was significant.

 _Damnit._

"Gabriel?" He allowed Sam to pull away, searching his face carefully. Sam was chewing on his lip nervously, "This is all… new to me. From this perspective. I need to ask… what was that hug meant to be for?"

"I'm not completely sure." He admitted after a moment's consideration. "Alright. Let's try something else." Carefully he pushed at the angel's waist until he got the message, slipping out of his lap and sitting across from him criss cross, watching him expectantly.

"First, why the hell are we here?"

Sam looked around for a moment before answering, "It is the first place I ever saw your human body. Where I rebuilt you from the ground up. I thought it would be a good place to see you without your Soul for the first time."

"Symbolism." Gabriel offered, "Well can we change the scenery? I kind of woke up in a coffin with almost no air… Not exactly the most…" Gabriel trailed off and Sam nodded.

"Where would you like to go?"

Gabriel considered the option, they could go quite possibly anywhere either of them had been. "The first place on Earth you ever went?"

Sam paused, looking at the grave marker in the distance. "We are there."

Gabriel froze, staring at Sam as though he'd grown a second head.

"You'd never been on Earth?"

"No. I spent all of my life avoiding Earth. Avoiding…" Sam trailed off and shut his eyes.

"Avoiding finding me." He thought over the conversation he had heard between Anna and Dean and Sam jerked slightly, his eyes going bug eyed as he stared at Gabriel.

"Anael and Debriel…" Sam trailed off, staring at his hands and not speaking a word.

"… _Though screwing around with other angels is forbidden…"_

Maybe it wasn't something he should've thought about. Not with Sam literally sitting in his mind, yet it was there and well, it wasn't his fault.

"I do not expect you to control your thoughts for my sake, Gabriel. It is just…" Sam met his gaze, discomfort buried deep in the blue, "I feel like I should have seen it. I should have known."

"What would you have done if you'd known?"

Sam looked away, "I do not know." He admitted.

"It's probably better you didn't. If you did, it sounds like it would've done more harm than good."

Sam nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "It still… bothers me… knowing that even before he left he was damning himself."

"He isn't your responsibility, Sammy." Gabriel reached across the space and took the angel's hand in his own, they needed to veer off this subject before things got too painful, too _emotional_. "I know where we should go."

"I can do that." Sam smiled, catching his thoughts before the world melted around them to a candy shop that Gabriel hadn't visited in a long time. He hadn't been there since he was four years old. It was only because of his dad mentioning it a few times that he really remembered anything about it. The dreamscape had no other customers but it was fully stocked. Shelves upon shelves of candy of all flavors and types.

 _This is my Heaven._

"It very well could be." Samuel supplied from somewhere behind him as he made a beeline for the chocolate.

"I'd rather not find out anytime soon." Sam laughed quietly at Gabriel's words as he dove into one of the tubs of chocolate, grabbing a handful and moaning at the glorious taste of chocolate as he stuffed his face. It may have been a dream, but it sure as hell tasted real.

Loki definitely had one thing right.

"Why did you choose this place?"

Gabriel paused in his chewing, swallowing the mouthful of candy and turning to look at the angel, "My mom. Terra. When I was a kid she'd bring me here every Sunday and let me get whatever I wanted. I'd fill a bag and we'd go home and watch Dumbo or Fantasia or some of the other crazier Disney movies on the couch. Then when dad got home we'd watch random TV shows or go out to the park. After Cas was born things changed a bit but it stayed mostly the same. Every Sunday was always the same. Cas was there but Sundays were still always the same. No matter what." Gabriel shrugged, returning to indulging in the sweets.

"If you could have your mom back, would you?" Sam asked curiously from behind him and Gabriel shook his head.

"No. I would never do that to her. Not after all this time." Gabriel shifted slightly on his feet, grabbing a handful of gummy bears from one of the displays and turning on his heels. "Coming back from death, it isn't fun. It's disorienting and terrifying. Something that should never happen." He walked back over to Sam who hadn't moved except for standing up when they got there. "That being said. Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for pulling me out of Hell."

Just as Sam opened his mouth to say something that Gabriel didn't want to hear, he reached up and pressed a couple of the gummy bears into Sam's mouth, just to shut him up.

Sam narrowed his eyes suspiciously, catching the candy between his teeth before it could fall. Absently, Gabriel had to wonder what it was like for the angel in his true form. If this was just what his mind was perceiving his angel as.

"Eat them. We're not having a heart to heart." Gabriel waited patiently as Sam frowned before chewing into the candy, looking thoughtful.

"They are not terrible." Sam decided and Gabriel's eyes lit. This was something he could work with.

"Alright, here's the deal. You're going to try all of the candy in this store and decide which is your favorite. While we do that I'm going to give you a short rundown on being human and you're going to share some stories of Heaven. The good or interesting stories. I know there's going to be some of those."

Sam opened then shut his mouth, nodding as a slight smile appeared on his face.

.-~*~-.

Despite the fact that he'd spent the entire night dream walking with Sam and exploring some of the more beautiful heavens that the angel had been in, Gabriel was more well rested than he had been in a long while when he woke. Sam and him had been exploring the memory of a heaven that belonged to a man by the name of Rahl. Sam hadn't known the exact story of the man but his heaven had been in the Amazon, fighting and battling wild animals for all of eternity.

It had been fun. Gabriel had learned a lot about Heaven and told his own stories in turn. He'd also pushed Sam on the use of words like "don't" and "can't".

Needless to say, when Gabriel woke up he was well rested and didn't really want to get out of the bed. He knew Sam was still in Mexico and suspected his brother would probably be downstairs waiting to lecture him on drinking himself to sleep.

Which wasn't accurate. He _had_ drunk more than he should've but it was Sam that had knocked him out, sober.

Groaning, he pushed out of the bed, grimacing at the way his jeans clung to his legs from the whisky he'd spilt the night before. _Great._

Sighing, he went through his morning routine, grabbing a shower and changing into some fresh clothes before making his way downstairs.

Cas was sitting on the couch watching some cop show with the volume really low and when Gabriel stepped in he glanced up at him before returning his attention to the show. His younger brother had dark circles under his eyes and looked…

 _Damnit, Cas._

"Morning." His brother muttered softly as Gabriel settled down next to him.

"Hey, Cas." He responded loudly and his younger brother flinched away, groaning. "Enjoy yourself last night?" He kept his voice loud and chipper.

"Screw you." He muttered, shoving against Gabriel's side. Gabriel chuckled softly.

"So I'm not the only one who broke into the whisky last night?" He lowered his voice a bit but not much, making his brother flinch.

"I didn't get into Bobby's. Blame Dean. Him and that angel, Anael... um Anna."

"Did you try to outdrink a god?" He raised an eyebrow at his younger brother who shook his head rapidly, burying his face in his hands.

"No. I'd never outdrink Dean. I'm not stupid. Anna. She's basically human. Something to do with her being fallen. They said she was as susceptible as a normal human."

"And she is." Dean appeared in the other couch, leaning back and grinning at Cas, "A normal human with a high alcohol tolerance."

"I hate you." Cas shot a look at the archangel.

"You only wish you could."

"You manipulated me." There wasn't any real hostility in the words, which meant that whatever anger Cas had felt towards Dean for the years of manipulation was gone.

"I'll wipe that hangover from your system and we can call it even."

Cas nodded once and Dean snapped his fingers. Sighing softly, Cas leaned back, "Where's Anna?"

"Hell." Dean answered plainly, casually.

"What?" Both brothers asked at the same time, jerking up into a sitting positon and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Relax. She's safe. I can't spend too much time down there. No matter what I do, my Grace glows like a freakin' homing beacon. Anna's setting the spell up then I'm going to go back."

"So is she still angry at you?" Gabriel asked curiously.

"Oh, she's pissed. Don't think she isn't for one moment. I brought her here for us to drink last night as sort of a last hurrah. We made a deal."

"What deal?" Gabriel asked suspiciously.

Dean sighed and leaned back, "I have to kill her after she helps."

"Bu-"

"I'm not going to. I won't kill my family. When her Grace is ripped from her Vessel again it will force her from that body into a new one. She'll be reborn and grow old. In the end she'll go to Hell but she'll get that normal life that this whole Apocalypse took from her."

"Assuming we stop Lucifer." Cas pointed out quietly and Dean nodded without saying anything else.

"So how long will it take for her to finish setting it up?" Gabriel asked.

"I have to wait a few hours. Give the spell a bit of time to cook."

"A few hours? That-"

"Helltime moves faster, which you know." Gabriel flinched and shoved down the Hell memories before they could surface. "I don't have the time on my hands to protect every single one of the Seals and Raphael isn't exactly pushing Heaven to protect them."

"I thou-"

"Michael isn't talking. At least, I'm pretty sure that's the case. If I tune in, they'll be able to track me and that ain't happening. From what I've picked up from demon whispers and Sammy is they aren't making a massive effort to protect the easy to destroy Seals. They've got Sam protecting the entrance to El Dorado which can't be opened by demons or angels."

"The City of Gold?" Cas asked disbelievingly. Gabriel was surprised as well though he didn't make a verbal comment.

"Yes. I wouldn't have been suspicious of it being, well, suspicious, except they have five angels on it and only a pure human Soul can open it and its warded to high hell against demons. Lucifer's angels aren't targeting single Seal locations like that. They're going after larger scale things like Jerusalem, well when there was a Jerusalem. Heaven wants Lucifer out and unfortunately I trained Dad's little soldiers too well to see past it." Dean tilted his head. "With that, I need to go. Loki is giving me a much-needed power boost." He met Cas' gaze as he pushed himself to his feet, "Cas, I know you're still a bit pissed at me but I'm offering once. Do you want me to take you to see Meg or not?"

Cas shifted uncomfortably next to him and Gabriel glanced over to his brother staring at the floor, "Our faces are all over the news."

"Of course they are." Dean said at the same time that Gabriel said, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I'd put that one on your choices, Gabe." Cas said quietly. "We could have done something less high profile than disappearing from our jail cells."

Gabriel groaned and leaned back, rubbing his hands across his face. "I didn't hear you coming up with any other good-"

"Guys." They both looked at Dean when he interrupted them, "As much as I'm loving this little argument. I need to go. I'll see if I can't get anything done to wipe you off the map, until then, lay low."

Then they were alone. Gritting his teeth, Gabriel got up and headed for the other room.

"Gabe, wait." He turned to see his brother getting to his feet and going to one of the outlets on the wall, grabbing a phone and offering it. "Also, I need to tell you something." Cas added as Gabriel walked over to him, taking the phone.

"Is it important?" Gabriel asked, trying to bury his annoyance.

"Anna told me something last night. You are Michael's vessel. His True Vessel."

Gabriel paused, a sickening sensation twisting through him. "The Michael? As in… The solider of Heaven… The _Archangel_."

Cas nodded slowly, watching Gabriel with unease.

Before he could even begin to try to wrap his head around the fact that _Michael_ was supposed to jump his bones in all the not so fun ways he was beelining for the door.

He was done.

This was all bullshit.

It was complete and utter bullshit and he was _done_.

 **I struggled with this chapter because I wanted to write fluff but I'm** ** _really_** **bad at fluff so I gave up on that. I did finally push Sam and Gabe into a situation that things could be resolved. Also, sorry it's shorter. I don't really have an excuse for it.**


	15. 14: The Damage Heaven and Hell Do

**Alright so I just finished some painful math to tie some important pieces together. Never ever ever ever doing that again. Math hurts the brain.**

 **On an unrelated note, we really need a calculator that automatically calculates Earth time to Hell time.**

 **Yet another WARNING. (spoilers) A bit of slightly gruesome scenes with fatal injuries. Also, Dalara talks about why she killed Will in this chapter. Not exactly gruesome but a bit dark, Gabe also suffers another Hell flashback.**

After stealing one of Bobby's spare cars, Gabriel drove for two days straight, though not exactly beelining for anywhere in particular, before he finally pulled into a motel. In that time, he hadn't slept, had sent a short prayer to Sam telling him that he didn't need to be saved no matter what Cas said, and only stopped six times. He wasn't sure where he was driving, just that he _had_ to get away. There was too much happening and he _couldn't_ deal with it. He just couldn't. Part of him was grateful that Cas hadn't thought to get the number off his new phone because he didn't want to talk. He just wanted to get away.

By the time he managed to get into the motel room he was too wired from lack of sleep to sleep. Which was stupidly redundant.

It didn't matter. He wasn't ready to sleep. Not yet. Instead he pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the screen for a moment before typing a number in, "313".

 _Gabriel: I need to talk to you. Now._

 _313: If I got you pregnant, this is the wrong number._

 _313: Who is this?_

Despite everything he couldn't help the smile from quirking on his face at her stupid response.

 _Gabriel: Gabriel._

It took a minute before he got a response.

 _313: Where are you right now?_

Pausing for a moment he pushed back up out of the bed and walked over to the notepad, typing out the location, some random town in Oregon, and pressing send. A few seconds later someone was knocking on the door.

He blinked, scrunching his eyebrows before walking over to the door and pulling it open.

Gabriel will admit that he stared at the sight of very messy Dalara standing in front of him. Only, this time around, she was sporting blue hair that rivaled the blue of his brother's eyes. On top of that she had three massive, poorly stitched, gashes that crossed from her right arm, undoubtedly beneath her blood stained, shredded, clothing, and ended on her left wrist. There was the distinct sight of bruising on her neck and wrists and her right eye was half swollen shut.

 _Holy shit._

"You goin' t' invite me in or just gonna stand there like an idiot?" Then Dalara was pushing past him into the room.

Opening then shutting his mouth he turned around, shutting the door and watched as she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling that ever present backpack off her back and grabbing something from inside it, wincing visibly when her wounds brushed the bag.

"You wanted t' talk. Let's talk."

"What the hell happened to you?" He was asking before he could stop himself, the woman smiled weakly at him.

"Harpies. Nasty li'l bitches. Tried t' tear my heart outta my chest. Almos' succeeded. Got any Vodka?" She asked him casually as she pulled her blood-stained shirt off revealing, sure enough - _How the fuck is she walking and talking?-_ He stared dumbfounded at the matching gashes that nearly had her insides pouring from them, held in by those terribly done stitches, it made _no sense_.

"'ey, Gabe. Focus." She snapped her fingers and her jerked his focus back to her face.

"I… what the _fuck_?" He demanded and she sighed in exasperation.

"I work wi' The Hell Queen, Gabe. I can't die. Which leads t' momen's like this." She motioned to herself as she finally took whatever it was she had pulled from her bag and tossed it in her mouth.

"That makes…"

"No sense. I go' it. T' answer all yur unasked questions. I used a complex blood spell t' get here. Yes. I shoul' have my guts pourin' out li' a fountain but I don't. Can we move on?"

"You shouldn't be coherent. That's…"

"If you wanna kill me, feel free. Jus' be prepared fo' when i' doesn't work." She held her arms out in invitation. When Gabriel made no move she relaxed them and leaned back on the mattress. "You don' go' a spare shirt, do ya?"

"I… uh… no." All of his stuff was still at Bobby's.

"Wonderful." She threw her arm over her face and grumbled something incoherent. "Alrigh'. Well no starin'. I'm very far off the market for you."

Gabriel blinked, fully registering what she was addressing. Something he hadn't even really thought twice about.

"Why did you wanna talk, Gabe?"

With a lot of unease, he settled into a chair by the door, watching as she rested her arms over her stomach, the way she picked at the stitches crossing the wounds as though they weren't holding her organs in place.

He hadn't even _noticed_ that she was laying in his bed with no shirt on and blood covered shredded jeans.

"I wanted…"

"To ask why I skinned Will alive? Why I tortured him in all o' those el'gant beau'iful ways Ali taught the both o' us?" There was a dark undertone to her words and it sent a shiver down his spine. He wasn't sure whether it was the reminder of Alistair or the way she said it but Gabriel's throat closed and he couldn't bring himself to speak. "I did it 'cause he deserved i'. 'fore you star' on the moral'ty factor. I didn' have black eyes at the star' but I was trapped. He di'n't care. No' when I splained it. Your daddy only heard the end of i'. Wha' I did, it was a blessin'. That man shot me with Devil's Traps jus' righ' so tha' it paralyzed me. Once I wa' paralyzed he tortured me. Talked 'bout how he enjoyed i'. Told me all 'bout how he'd killed plen'y on his own. How he'd held down innocen' humans and monsters alike and carved into 'em li' they were a Thanksgivin' turkey. Tol' me he planned t' tie his wife up an' make 'er watch as 'e murdered their girl. Then he killed me, and I came back wi' black eyes. My demon, she ain't nice as me, and she was pissed. Tha's when I called in Nex. I wasn' exactly in m' right mind but I'd of done it either way. Actually, if I'd been in m' right mind I'd of done worse. Demon me let 'er off easy."

Gabriel took all of this information with way too much ease. For some God forsaken reason, he _wanted_ to believe her, but at the same time that mentality of his that told him to never trust anyone was yelling at him to not believe a word she said. That part was rational but he didn't exactly want to listen to it. Why hadn't she told anyone else this? Why hadn't she mentioned it to anyone else? In the end if she'd told someone the truth…

He was ripped from his thoughts as the stitched patches of her skin began to glow a brilliant red light, she made a small pained sound and jerked into a sitting position as she grabbed the wounds on her stomach. The light grew more and more intense and forced him to shield his eyes, turning away his head as chilling heat flooded the room. Dalara let out an agonized scream and when he looked back at her she was gasping and holding her arms out in front of her, twisting them around to look at the now completely healed wounds, more like she was inspecting them then like she was surprised -which was probably accurate- but he was completely dumbfounded.

"Holy shit." Gabriel was saying before it fully registered that his mouth was moving. She grinned over at him, her face completely healed as well.

"Not much holy 'bout it." She rubbed her hands over the healed wounds, "Believe me 'bout Will, or don't. I don' really care. I've got better things to do than try t' convince ya to. You asked. I told. Now give me y'ur jacket."

Gabriel didn't really notice himself removing his jacket, still entranced at the sight of the girl's unblemished skin. It was insane. It was impossible.

"Gabe." His attention moved to her face as she walked over to him, holding her hand out, he set it in her hand and she made do of pulling it on and zipping it up quickly. "Starin' at a half-naked woman's hardly considered polite."

"I-"

She waved his words off before turning and going back to the bed, grabbing her backpack. "I know. I got i'. Trust me, Gabe."

"Why would I trust you?" Of course he did trust her, and that was the whole damned issue. Why the hell did he trust her?

She smiled cheekily at him as she threw her bags over her shoulders and sat on the edge of the bed. Despite the fact that she was putting on a mask of confidence there was a clear undertone of unease in her words. "The real question's why can't you not trust me? Same thing since I met you. I've told ya more secrets than any other Hunter. I'll admit I wiped yur memory but it was a temp wipe. Fact o' the matter is I trusted to show up here and no' get shot and I trusted you t' listen t' what I had t' say. I won't ever tell ya everything but I've told ya more than anyone else 'cept Nex. Whether you wanna do it or not, ya trust me. I know because I'm standin' here. I've got no doubts you were warned t' stay away. Look at it this way, Gabe. We're both on similar territory. I'm trustin' one o' the last people I should and y'ur trustin' the last person on the planet that any Hunter should trust. Because your daddy's right. I'm real bad news. I'm an accident waitin' to happen."

Gabriel wasn't completely sure what to say to any of that, because it was all painfully accurate. He did trust her and he'd be damned, again, if it didn't piss him off.

"I vote for forget all this drama crap and watch some TV 'fore I head back to Rome."

"You were in _Rome_?" Gabriel asked in a bit of shock, trying to keep the envy out of his expression. Something he had never told anyone was his deep-rooted desires to get out of his country. To go to any place that _wasn't_ North America. It was a basic desire, something he didn't doubt plenty of people wished for. Probably one of the most normal things about his life and he was trying to hide it.

She grinned at him, obviously seeing through his mask. "Harpies hardly make 'emselves known in the states, Gabe. Since I'm wanted for that slaughter o' that nest. I make myself very scarce in showin' my face anywhere. 'specially 'round Hunters."

"So the hair's a fashion statement?" He asked, trying not to laugh at the dirty look she gave him.

"The hair's glorious." She flipped her head, as if to prove her point, which was lost when her hair didn't cooperate and instead of flipping over her shoulder like he expected she'd been trying to, it covered her face. She grumbled something intelligible as she used her fingers to rake it back off her face. She didn't let that deter her, going on as if she hadn't failed in her attempt to show off, "And you can go fuck yerself if ya think otherwise."

He grinned at her and she made a face at him, sticking her tongue out at him, "What are you? Six?"

"More like forty-eight. Or… twelve hundred and… sixty-eight? I think. Math isn't m' fine point."

 _Forty-eight?_ "But-"

"I wasn't fourteen when I got murdered. I was twenty-three when I died and my meatsuit was twenty-four when I was brought back t' life. Nex used a spell or somethin' 'long those lines on me that stopped m' agin'. Eternally twenty-four. Better than cookin' in Hell."

There was a moment of silence before he decided that the serious conversations needed to stop. "What _is_ with the hair?"

She pressed her lips together, a considerate look on her expression, before she answered. "Was born with white hair. White as snow. Doctor's thought I'd been born with some serious birth defects. There weren't any. Just white haired baby wit' pale blue eyes."

"Is that possible?" Of all the strange things in his life, a white haired human being hardly should've seemed strange but it was. Gabriel didn't think that it was possible to be born with white hair unless you were albino or had some sort of serious birth defect.

His thoughts were interrupted when she responded, sounding casual. "'pparently so." She shrugged and leaned back. "I suggest ya call yer baby bro."

Gabriel stared at her for a moment as what she'd said registered followed by a fresh wave of guilt. "How-"

"I've been runnin' from m' problems fer years. I can tell ya haven't slept fer at least forty-eight hours. If ya haven't slept and yer alone it's not that hard t' piece it together. Call yer baby bro, let 'im know yer alive, then me an' you are gonna sleep. I'll need ya bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow t' help me with a hunt."

"What makes you think that I'm going to hunt with you?"

"What else do ya have t' do?"

"Anything unrelated to hunting." He responded, sounding more bitter than he'd intended. She pushed back into a sitting position, raising an eyebrow.

"What'd the mean ol' monsters do t' you?"

"Nothing. I'm calling Cas." He pulled his phone from his pocket, pushing out of the seat.

"Got somethin' t' do with the Archangel on yer brother's shoulder?"

Gabriel didn't bother giving her an answer as he made his way outside and dialed Cas' number. A few rings later and his brother's voice came through. "Gabe?"

"I'm alive."

"What the _hell_?" There was the sound of someone else talking in the background.

"I had to leave."

"You're running." His brother answered blandly sounding hurt.

Gabriel winced but didn't let the guilt show in his voice, "I can't deal with this anymore, Cas. I'm out. I'm done."

"This is just an excuse. You have been trying to run for years. This has nothing to do with Michael, this is just you running from your responsibilities!"

"You _aren't_ my responsibility anymore, Cas." He responded bitterly, "You never should've been. You have no idea the shit I did to keep us off the streets. So if I'm done. I'm done."

"Goodbye, Gabriel." Cas told him coldly, followed by the click of the line going dead.

Gabriel groaned, rubbing his hands over his face and making his way back inside.

Dalara was asleep, curled into a ball on the edge of the bed. His bed. Part of him was tempted to push her off, only part of him. It wasn't really fair for him to take out his irritation on her though. Sighing, he settled onto the spot next to Dalara, not bothering with trying to give her personal space. It wasn't like he'd try anything and this was his bed. If she didn't like it, well that was her issue. It took no more than ten seconds from the point he rested his head against the pillow before sleep pulled him under completely.

.-~*~-.

" _I will reward you, Gabriel. All you have to do is take my blade. Take the blade and it will end. Take my blade and you won't suffer anymore. Your brother won't save you, no one will. No one cares."_

" _Fuck. You." Gabriel spit out, the white-eyed demon gave him a twisted smile before he began tearing him apart again, piece by piece, part by part. All he could do was scream and writhe and beg for it to stop. That was all he would do. If he surrendered… he couldn't become a demon. He wouldn't. He sold his soul. He'd known where he was going. If he lifted that blade he was done. If he lifted the blade he'd lose his humanity. It was getting harder to hold on. Harder to remember why it mattered. It had been years. Forty years under the blade of Alistair. Forty years of torture. What was the point in enduring it anymore?_

" _Come on, Gabriel. I will stop. You will be free from the pain. Free from the suffering. All you need to do is lift this blade."_

" _Gabriel." That voice was distant. It felt wrong for this place. Familiar though he didn't understand why. Alistair's attention moved from him and the blade stopped cutting into him. "Come on, Gabriel. Let me save you. Say yes."_

 _Gabriel didn't know why, it didn't matter. All that mattered was making this stop. "Yes."_

 _Then Gabriel was flying, flying and soaring. A bright light more beautiful than anything else was engulfing him and he settled into it, allowing it to flood him. He flew for what could've been years with nothing more than that beautiful light as company until at least something in him flared to life. Until his mind caught up and he understood where he was._

 _He was asleep._

The scene around them distorted and morphed and no longer was he flying with Sam, instead they were in a large empty field. Sam stood a few feet in front of him, looking him over worriedly.

"Gabriel."

"I'm dreaming."

Sam nodded, looking him over worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He told Sam who gave him a look that said he didn't believe a word Gabriel was saying. "That was the day I picked up the blade. That was the day I broke." He admitted quietly.

"You were meant to break. It was impossible to avoid."

"That doesn't make it better."

"The only thing that could have prevented it was the success of the angels. We failed you, Gabriel."

"But-"

"No, Gabriel. I am not going to argue with you about this. You are not at fault for what happened."

They stared each other down for several moments without saying a word before Gabriel nodded once. It was a means to the end of the conversation and nothing more. Sam frowned at him, obviously picking up on the lie, but he said nothing more on the matter.

"So, Sammy. Where are you at right now? Heaven, Mexico, the Moon?"

"Buzz Aldron sold The Moon to a crossroad's demon by the name of Crowley." The response was obviously reflexive as he shifted uncomfortably, looking away for a moment before looking back at him. "I am currently in Africa."

"What happened to Mexico?" Gabriel questioned, watching the angel curiously. Averting his gaze, he shifted slightly and the distortion behind him that was his wings pulled closer to him.

"I left Mexico."

Gabriel already understood the angel's discomfort, it wasn't hard to piece together from watching him. That time spent with him the other night had given him an understanding of the angel, while his physical emotions barely showed through, his wings were a dead giveaway on his thoughts. It also left Gabriel full of unease. Sam had explained that defying Heaven's orders could result in things worse than death. Brainwashing at the hands of a Seraph named Naomi being the most feared of all of them. There was also the angel gossip, at lack of a better term. If someone caught wind of it there was a chance that rumors would spread that he was working for Lucifer and he would be forced to change sides or die.

"Sam."

Sam met his gaze then looked away, "Dean suggested that I go where I could be of real use rather than staying where Heaven didn't need me."

"You're already risking getting-" Gabriel started before Sam gave him a stern look, cutting him off.

"I am aware, Gabriel. I am doing what I believe is right. I would rather suffer at the hands of Naomi a hundred times over than let Lucifer be freed. If Dean is right and Raphael is pushing for Lucifer's release, I will risk my own suffering because it is the right thing to do." Gabriel opened then shut his mouth because there wasn't anything he could say without being a hypocrite.

"Okay." Gabriel shifted slightly before settling onto the ground, watching the angel with unease. "Do you need to go back to what you were doing?"

Sam regarded him for a moment before shaking his head. "Who is that woman that is with you, Gabriel?"

It took him a second to comprehend what was being said and when he did he shot the other man an annoyed look. "Your angel friend is still stalking me, isn't he?"

"Only to an extent. Since you aren't hunting there is not much of a reason for it. You didn't answer my question."

"Her name is Dalara."

A considerate then sad look crossed Sam's expression followed by the distortion of his wings slightly morphing forward, drooping.

"Dalara Valentine." Sam said mournfully, the scene around them distorting and morphing until they were in a new place, a frozen scene. A few feet in front of them was a woman lying on the ground, a beautiful woman with golden blonde hair and forest green eyes. The woman had a hole in the center of her chest, clearly a bullet wound.

Dalara was there as well, her hair white as snow in a way that shouldn't have been natural but he knew very well was. Younger, maybe a year or two. Still on that line at the very start of her twenties. In a way, she looked lighter, not weighed down by hunting. Dalara was holding the blonde woman and had her head thrown back, a bright light floated several inches over her but Gabriel couldn't tell what it was. Not really. Yet he knew what it was. That was an angel. An angel floating down in the direction of Dalara and the woman in her arms.

"Dalara took part as a Vessel to an angel by the name of Ion. I did not ever meet her but I know their story. Ion was sent to Earth twenty-nine years ago, by your time, while here he discovered his Soul. A woman by the name of Lilly. At the time he discovered her, Lilly was in a relationship with a woman by the name of Dalara Lee Valentine. They had been together since they were sixteen and were engaged. Of course, your country's laws would never have allowed the union but it was a formality for the two women. Ion was going to reside over their wedding. They intended to spend the rest of their lives together. They would have as well as they were Soulmates. They had Earth and Heaven to each other for eternity. After Ion arrived into their lives it was a blessing and a curse. Dalara had given him what is known as 'blanket consent'. This simply meant that should he ever need a Vessel she would allow him to possess her without the formal 'Yes'."

"Given the situation the outcome was better than they ever could've asked for. Dalara was a strong Vessel and she was willing to share the woman she loved with an angel. Under a promise. A promise that they would be able to live out the rest of their lives in peace. That no harm would ever come to Lilly. It was a simple request and one that under normal circumstances at the time shouldn't have been an issue. It was on this night, Dalara's twenty-first birthday, that everything when wrong. Ion had been with me in The Garden and we had been talking about something insignificant. Ion had left Dalara and Lilly alone that night and they came here, to celebrate her age. In all of the angels I have seen wronged over the years, this may have been one of the worst. When Ion felt her dying he flew so fast from Heaven that it was a wonder he didn't tear a hole in it. Ion tried, and failed to save her. It was too late. Her Soul had been retrieved by a Reaper and Ion's promise had been broken. Dalara ordered him to leave her and swore that she would find another way to bring Lilly back. It was that night that Ion took his life in his grief after relaying the entire story to me."

Gabriel knelt next to memory Dalara as he listened to Sam tell her story. It was tragic and gave Gabriel a vague understanding of Dalara's hunting motivations. It also made him feel slightly guilty. This was her story and he had no real right to it without her sharing it with him. Every hunter had their tale and while he didn't know the exact details he had no doubt that she'd ended up in Hell because of this event.

"Why was Lilly killed?" He asked, looking down at the blonde woman, reading the pain and fear and heartbreak in her look. The bullet had pierced clean through her heart. When he looked around the dream bar he spotted a confused looking man several feet away with a gun lying on the ground at his feet.

"You would have to ask Dalara." Sam told him quietly.

Gabriel considered pushing for more answers but decided against it. He would talk to her about this, later. It wasn't his place.

"Why didn't Balthazar know who she was?" He asked, changing the subject from Dalara's own story. Sam seemed content with this and the scenery shifted to a park that Gabriel remembered Sam calling the Heaven of Hannah's Soul's child.

"He didn't know." Sam told him simply after a moment, "I am the only angel in Heaven who knows the stories of the angels and their Souls. I'm the only one who subjected myself to those tragic tales. The others find it easier not to think on tragic topics that cannot be helped."

"Angels sound like assholes." He found himself saying before he realized it.

"It is not like that." Sam defended quickly and Gabriel felt a bit of guilt surface because he hadn't meant to say it. "Gabriel, you need to stop thinking of us as humans. For an angel to willingly subject themselves to the dark is rare. We are pure beings of light and darkness is something we all avoid if we can help it."

Gabriel nodded, trying to understand that, and failing. It was just too foreign. No matter what he did his mind attempted to relate the angels' behavior to humans.They were two different species, and the traditions between the two of them were alien traditions.

"I have to go." Was all Sam said before he disappeared from Gabriel's dreams. Frowning, Gabriel wandering through the park until a sharp stabbing pain straight to his groin sent him jerking awake with a shout.

.-~*~-.

"It has been far too long, Samuel." Anael greeted Samuel as he landed in the iciness that was Hell. There was no time for him to respond to her before the hoard of demons descending towards whatever ritual she was working on launched themselves at them. Him and Anael fought hard against the onslaught of demons. Moving in unison and protecting the altar that the ritual was taking place on.

Samuel could _feel_ the Pagan power pulsating from it. Singing loud and clear for all of Hell to hear. Whatever it was that Dean and Anael were doing here, it was powerful. There was very little time for him to notice Anael and what had become of her once bright glowing Grace. Her once three sets of pure white wings were nothing more than bones. All of her feathers were gone. The Grace between the bones, meant to hold the feathers in place, empty air. The bones were all that remained. They were a painful reminder that she was truly a Fallen Angel.

"Samuel!" He ducked down and turned as a demon tried, and failed, to plunge an angel blade into the back of his Vessel. He dodged the next three demons and managed to kill them each with little effort.

"Anael, whatever you are doing, finish it!" He called out as he flew to the place behind her, driving a blade into a demon's skull.

"Don't call me that, Samuel!" She shouted at him as she ducked under his Vessel's arm and returned to the altar.

As Samuel continued to fight off demon after demon, Anael began to chant. Her words were a mixture of Enochian and several different dialects that Samuel was too focused on the battle to translate. Part of him wanted to shout at Dean for not assisting them further but he understood why he couldn't. If Heaven learned of his survival, he would be pulled home, and if the demons saw an Archangel in Hell it would be a dead giveaway as to who it was. They would alert Lucifer and it would all be over.

"Samuel, duck!" He did as told and a bright blast of both pagan magic and tainted Angelic Grace rippled across the area. He watched in minor fascination as the spell completely disintegrated all of the remaining demons that had been closing in on them. "We need to leave now." Without a thought Samuel turned to his sister and rested a hand on her shoulder before spreading his frozen wings and flying from Hell.

They landed in the one place Samuel felt safe taking his Fallen sister. They landed in Gabriel's motel room. There were two people on the single bed in the room, Gabriel of course whose Soul filled him to the brim with power and joy. Beneath him, held down to the bed with Gabriel's hands on her shoulders, was a woman he recognized immediately. A woman that's Soul was so dark and tainted that it set his Grace on edge. That was wrong. That was so very wrong. Her Soul was half demonized. Where Castiel's Soul was tainted by something minor her Soul was battered and tortured and damaged.

"-'n accident!" She had been shouting when they arrived in the room. However, the moment the angels touched down she shut her mouth, shooting a hostile glare in their direction. "Angels." Dalara spat out and jerked under Gabriel, trying to get loose.

Gabriel released her shoulders and she crawled out from under him, pointedly climbing off the bed onto the end of the room far away from Samuel and Anael. Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed after she was off of it and not so subtly rubbed his crotch, muttering something that would have been unintelligible to human ears, "Violent sleep kicker."

"Why'd ya not think t' tell me ya had some angels on a leash."

"I am _not_ on his leash." Anael responded defensively and Dalara smiled bitterly in her direction, her gaze meeting Samuel's before wandering to Gabriel's back.

"I'll make one guess and say the male one's on yer leash. Don' trust 'em, Gabe. Angels'll chew ya up and spit ya out like a wad of gum. They'll break all o' their promises and ruin yer life."

Gabriel turned on the bed, "Dal-"

"No. Fuck you. Fuck all ya'll. I don't work wit' angels. Call me if ya need me, Gabe. But keep them the _fuck_ away from me." As she spoke she beelined for the door, muttering vulgarities under her breath directed at Anael and him. She didn't throw open the door, instead walking straight through it, a strong burst of witch magic following her as she left.

"That could've gone better." Anael spoke up next to him after a moment.

"Where the hell did you go, Sam?"

"I had to assist Anael in fighting off demons so she could finish what she was doing in Hell." He admitted and Gabriel groaned, leaning back on his bed.

"I figured it was something along those lines. You're covered in blood." Samuel blinked and looked down at himself, frowning at the sight of the tainted demon blood. Without much thought he sent his Grace through his Vessel and across the clothing that Dean had given him, repairing the tears and removing the blood. Gabriel was watching him from his spot before his gaze wandered to Anael. "Hey again, Anna."

"Go rot in a ditch, Gabriel." Was her response as she leaned against the wall. Samuel shot a shocked look at his sister whose destroyed wings slightly dropped in the same moment. "I am sorry, brother. I did not mean that. Well, not in the way that you are thinking."

Samuel returned his gaze to Gabriel who was watching them closely, as though trying to read into their interaction. It made him slightly uncomfortable and reflexively he pulled his wings closer to his back. Not that Gabriel could see them, but still…

"Now that's something I hadn't expected. Who spilled the dirty secret to the two of you, Samuel? Was it Dean? Balthazar? Has Heaven spilled the biggest secret to all of the angels since I left? No, I doubt that."

"What?" Both Gabriel and Samuel asked her at the same time and she sighed loudly.

"The two of you know the dirty secret about Souls. The biggest joke from Dad. Oh, Samuel. He's going to break you apart. Knowing will never make the loss easier. In fact, knowing makes it worse." Her gaze wandered to Gabriel as what she said registered fully with Samuel. "As they say, ignorance is bliss."

In that moment anger flared through his Grace because he understood what her intentions were with those words.

Before Anael could speak another word, his hand was on her arm and he was flying them away from there, straight into a field not far from where he had been assisting in guarding Seals in Africa. He caught her by her throat and slammed her into the ground, summoning his blade and pressing it to her throat.

"Samuel!" She fought against him, panic filling her eyes as she struggled underneath him.

"You have _no right_ to try to guilt him into accepting me."

Her wings flared out behind her in a warning, an empty warning at that. She was not his superior anymore. She was Fallen. "I was trying to help you, _brother_." She told him with a heavy amount of bitterness, her wings folding into her Vessel as she glared at him. "You should have him while he is still yours to have. One day very soon you will lose him. Michael will take him from you. Michael will take his Vessel and you will never have your Soul again. He will be lost in the confines of Heaven's strongest weapon. You want him in all of those ways that we can only have our Souls and you are refraining from it. You will never make the first move because you think he doesn't have interest in you. I'm being the loving younger sister and trying to push you to the right thing. Only the both of you are too stupid to see it."

"I do not-"

"Oh yes you do, Samuel. If you don't love him then you sure as hell lust him. Have you seen how you look at him? Indulge yourself a bit before Michael takes him from you forever. He's willing. He will always be willing. If you explain it to him." Samuel stared his sister down for several long moments, holding her into the ground as he considered what she was saying. As he absorbed it.

Something she said finally registered in him and his wings spread as he flew back to the motel, doing Anael the favor of dropping her in Bobby's living room before he landed in Gabriel's motel room. The Hunter wasn't in the main room and Samuel could hear the sound of water running in the bathroom. It was far from difficult to pinpoint his Soul in the bathroom.

 _Michael's Vessel. He is Michael's Vessel. Of course he is._

He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Gabriel to emerge. They needed to talk.


	16. 15: The Consequences of No Protection

Anna was pissed. Not at Samuel, Samuel was in a terrible position that she would never wish on another. Not in a thousand years. Finding a Soul was bad enough to begin with, but for that Soul to belong to an Archangel as a True Vessel? There was no crueler fate that their 'loving' Father could have given him.

Speaking of their 'loving' Father. If she ever saw Him, He was the first on her to strangle with a cable line list. Debriel being the second on that list.

Oh, by their Father was she pissed at that damned Archangel. He had completely destroyed her life and there was nothing he could say or do to change that. He _owed_ her for leaving her all those years ago.

Don't let it be taken the wrong way. She had Fallen for her Soul. A man she would never speak the name of again. Not until she was able to hold his Soul in her arms again. In every sense of the damned word she had Fallen for him. There were few angels that would have gone to the extremes she did to guarantee her Damnation.

She loved her Soul with every ounce of her being. Still did. After she had learned the truth, everything had become so much more complicated. In the beginning, she had been defiant, had chosen to avoid her Soul at all costs. That choice had been a mistake on her part. While she had been focused on her Heaven given task of seeking out Debriel, avoiding the man made for her, her Soul had managed to Damn itself. That was when she had realized that no matter her anger and spite, she was meant to be his Guardian. Even if she had been angry with her Father, she owed this man her protection. So, she had tried to protect him, to save him.

In the end, his crimes had been too great and she had made the terrible mistake of falling for him. Heaven was no longer enough. It was routine, habit, effortless. There was no thought of actions anymore. When she would give out orders it was just her relaying Raphael's words.

There were days she would stand at the edge of The Graveyard and hold her blade in hand, staring at the corpses of their lost brothers and sisters. There were other times where she would sit there with Samuel and listen to him talk about the Souls that he had encountered in different heavens. He had never tried to tell her not to take her life. Never once had he told her anything along those lines, never had he asked her about her Soul. Samuel had been a neutral party and she knew that he would never tell anyone anything that she told him. Not that she had. She had however nudged at him that his choice to avoid Earth was a wise one. If Debriel had still been around she may have even asked him to find an angel for Samuel to find eternity with. But Debriel was gone. It took her years but she finally realized that there would only be one way for her to truly be at peace again. If she Fell she would be free. If she Fell she could find her Soul again.

When she ripped her Grace from her Vessel she had done so at The First Tree. It had been a choice that it should all end where it started. At that time, she had never thought that she would have her Grace returned. She had never thought for a moment that any angel would have been cruel enough to do what Debriel did to her. It didn't matter the situation. None of that mattered. There were things worse than being Fallen. Humanity.

Being human had changed her, probably for the better. It was almost ironic, being raised in a religious household and already being Damned, not just Damned, a Damned angel. Her parents hadn't deserved their fates. Not in a million years. If she still had the power she would have pulled them from Heaven the moment she got her wings back. Unfortunately, she was almost nothing more than a nearly unkillable human with wings. At least, things that had once been wings. They were nearly painful on her back, a constant reminder of how far she had Fallen.

Three sets of bones that would shout to any angel who saw them who she was. Who she had once been.

She was no longer Anael, The Carrier of Light, a Seraph, Angel of The Lord. She was Anna. Fallen Angel, traitor of Heaven, one who lost their Soul. If she was going to be a traitor, she might as well do it the right way.

Which left her with one choice. Something that she would have to be extremely careful about. There was only one side she could take in this and it wasn't Debriel and the brothers.

.-~*~-.

 _Six hundred sixty-six children aged six, Souls destined for Hell, sacrificed beneath a blood moon._

Lilith materialized in the center of a large school. This was good. This would work perfectly for what she wanted.

Modern humanity fascinated her, leaving their children to these places, basically unprotected. The world had twisted and turned over the years, ever since The First Day. It was disgustingly fascinating. It never should have been this simple for her. When God locked her angel away He had no doubt thought it would never be this simple. However, the world had changed drastically, humanity had tainted and corrupted it all. And where was He now? Off playing golf on some other planet no doubt. Good riddance. The scum may have created her and everything else but He was nothing more than a deadbeat father who had destroyed her angel.

In one single moment she locked the school down, in the next she called in several demons that all materialized around her. Her gaze ran across the elementary school as she flung the door open to several different rooms. She didn't need the older ones, they would be a burden, a nuisance. With a thought she snapped the necks of any human over the age of ten and basked in the wondrous sounds of the survivors screaming.

"Gather the ones I need." She ordered her demons, "Lock the elder ones in the boiler room for Nex. You," She pointed at one of the demons randomly, "Call Nex. Tell her I have some toys for her and her puppies."

With that arranged she left her demons to gather her the children she'd need for the next Seal, while she herself walks towards the front entrance, shutting her eyes and resting her hands over the glass to stare out into the street, drowning out the yelling and screaming behind her, focusing completely on her prayer.

"I pray to you, Lucifer, my love. I don't know if you can hear me. I don't know if you ever will again. I know what must be done for your freedom. I know what I must do. I will pay whatever price it costs to free you. I have made many mistakes in my time, all of which I am willing to recognize. What happened to me, it wasn't your fault. You must know that I don't blame you, that I have and never will. I have had a long time to think over what I did to you and I am well aware it was a mistake. What happened was my fault as much as your father's. I pushed too hard. I am willing to admit this. You are suffering for something you were never at fault for. You are suffering because I took advantage of your love. I will give you what you gave me. I will give you what you sacrificed four of your wings for. I will give you life, just as you did for me." Lilith promised, shutting her eyes and resting her forehead against the glass. "I am getting close to the final Seal, Lucifer. I will do whatever it takes. The angels will not win this, not even Debriel will be able to stop it. You will be freed soon. I promise. I swear it." Lilith's words were soft and for the first time in thousands of years she felt tears burning in the corner of her Vessel's eyes.

"Lilith." She turned, eying Nex with disdain. The child the other demon was possessing was a purely innocent Soul that Nex was trying her damnedest to corrupt. If Lilith looked a bit closer she could see the human Soul _had_ begun corrupting. Perhaps it wasn't completely impossible. "Amb told me you got some new toys." Nex's smile was so wide and innocent that any human would've been fooled into believing she was talking about normal toys, a stuffed rabbit or something along those lines.

Lilith tilted her head, eying something behind Nex for a brief moment before returning her attention to Nex, "I did. If you'd care to tell me why you're doing nothing about the clear presence of Debriel in Hell."

Nex made a face before pouting, "I'm _trying_." She huffed out, crossing her arms. "Archangels are parasites. I've got this though." She pulled a small grey feather from her pocket and held it out. "Found it in the throne room. Might be useful if you've got any binding spells, might not be. It's Deb's I think." Except that wasn't Debriel's feather, she had no idea what angel that small feather belonged to but it was likely just another one of Lucifer's followers. "Now where are my toys out, Lilly? I've only got a short break 'fore Hell notices its queen's absence."

Lilith narrowed her eyes at the younger demon's nickname before answering, snatching the feather anyways, "Boiler room. Go play, little one."

"Fuck you, Lilly." Nex flashed her eyes white and Lilith snorted.

"Such foul language for such a little girl. Go. I have a Seal to break." Nex rolled her eyes before vanishing and leaving Lilith alone with her demons and the several hundred children. "Al!" She called out, the crossroads demon materializing before her seconds later, "I want you to tell Crowley that I will need _at least_ twenty more crossroads demons. Tell him the more the better." Al nodded once before vanishing.

With that settled she transported herself away from there, arriving in another, smaller school. This time she didn't need to order her demons, they knew their task. As she walked down the hallways she basked in the glorious sounds of their screams.

"Lilith." A demon came up behind her, speaking tentatively. Lilith turned and eyed the whimpering six-year-old child with a massive bruise forming on the side of her face the demon was restraining. Interesting. There was a distinctive reason that the demon had brought this girl to him. It took one single look for her to know just who the young girl was. This was good. This was going to be fun. Her blood sang with her father's blood, she'd ordered them to be on the lookout for that potential. A backup plan for Lucifer should the task of getting the

"What is your name, child?" She questioned the girl who stared at her fearfully. "Tell me and I'll make sure the evil man doesn't hurt you again." Lilith promised her, because it was true, and because she didn't particularly care about what the child thought of her.

"H… Helena…" The girl whimpered out quietly. Lilith snapped her fingers and the demon disappeared, leaving Lilith alone with Helena.

"Alright, Hel. I want to know everything there is to know about you." She offered her hand before speaking loudly for the demons present to hear, "Go and take the other schools! Six hundred and sixty-six are what we need! No more, no less!"

 _Six hundred sixty-six children aged six, Souls destined for Hell, sacrificed beneath a blood moon._

.-~*~-.

"I won't say 'yes'. I don't plan on letting your brother ride my ass. I'm not going to talk about it anymore." Gabriel told Samuel. Samuel had never been so irritated with his Soul. Why was he being so difficult? It was a simple conversation.

"Gabri-" He tried again and was cut off.

"Sam, we aren't talking about it. It doesn't matter." Pointedly his Soul grabbed the remote from the end table and turned the volume up on the television.

That was when Samuel's well controlled anger snapped, because it did matter. It mattered a lot whether Gabriel wanted it to or not. "It does." Sam glared at him, hostility leaking through his voice as her flipped the television off with a touch of his Grace. "It may not matter to you but we _need_ to talk about this, Gabriel. This is extremely important."

"It _isn't_ your problem, Sam." Gabriel snapped at him and Samuel felt a brief loss of control of his temper and by the way Gabriel's eyes widened he had little doubt that some of his Grace had shown from his Vessel.

"Actually it _is_ , Gabriel." He replied bitterly, "You keep forgetting something. I am your _Guardian._ Even if I do not love you as I was lead to believe I would; I have a duty to protect you from any threats. You do not understand what lengths an Archangel will go to for their True Vessel. If Lucifer is freed and Michael begins seeking you out, do you realize what I will be forced to protect you from? Even with the power I gain from you I could barely hold my own against a Seraph. Michael is an _Archangel._ Whether you like it or not, Gabriel. We need to talk about this."

Gabriel flinched away at the harshness of Sam's words however he quickly recovered and met the angel's glare with his own, "I won't let him find me. If he can't find me then you don't have to protect me."

Samuel opened his mouth to retaliate with something but stopped, his entire body going rigid as Uriel's voice infiltrated his Grace.

' _Samuel. We must speak.'_ In a moment Samuel was flying from his Soul's motel room, arriving in the temple he had been assigned to protect. To his panic Uriel was already standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and a knowing look in his eyes. "You abandoned your post." Uriel told him simple.

"I was protecting my Soul." Samuel answered, which was partially true. What he could not mention was that he had been gone under orders from a certain dead Archangel.

"Your orders were simple, Samuel. You are supposed to be here and Balthazar is supposed to be watching your Soul."

"You do not order me, Uriel. You are not a Seraph."

Uriel flared his wings behind him in warning, "You seem to forget where you stand, Samuel. You murdered Zachariah."

"How would I ever kill a Seraph, Uriel? Even when I am in the presence of my Soul I am only so strong. Now why are you here?"

"Your Soul is warded against angels." Uriel answered after a long glaring moment.

"I do not see why this matters." Samuel told Uriel after fully processing what was being told to him. Gabriel was warded? How had he managed to find angel warding? Of course, Samuel was well aware that no level of warding could hide his Soul from him once he'd found it but he should have been able to sense it when in Gabriel's presence.

"We did not simply raise him because he was your Soul, Samuel. In fact, we should not have raised him at all being as he _is_ your Soul. We need his assistance in something. Now tell me where he is."

Samuel narrowed his eyes at the other angel, mistrust manifesting itself. If he had been told to do this before, he would have given the location up without a thought. Things had drastically changed since he had found Gabriel. Things were significantly different now. If Heaven needed Gabriel specifically it wasn't hard to guess why, especially since he had not been ordered to retrieve him.

"Tell me why you need him, Uriel."

"I do not need him, Naomi has ordered me to retrieve him for a task."

"A task a human can do that an angel as skilled as her cannot?" Samuel asked bitterly, not at all liking where this was going.

"I will not ask again, Samuel. Take me to your Soul or I will take you to Naomi."

There wasn't any question on which he would choose, because he _could_ choose. He had a job to protect Gabriel and no number of orders from Heaven would make him betray that. A choice he knew risked him Falling from Heaven. "Take me to Naomi." He stated simply and Uriel narrowed his eyes.

"Very well, brother."

.-~*~-.

Gabriel was getting sick of Sam taking off without an explanation, of course it did save him from a complicated argument with his angel.

He didn't _want_ to argue with Sam. He wanted to have more of the peaceful encounters they'd shared in his dreams where the looming Apocalypse wasn't looming over them. That was the issue with dreams, sooner or later you had to wake up.

Gabriel had made his way to the closest bar and was chatting platonically with the bartender who was about ten years too old to be bartending in this particular bar, nonetheless, he could mix drinks and it was actually useful since Gabriel was just looking for conversation. Normal, human conversation. Not that it lasted long but it was a break.

"Gabriel." Balthazar greeted him, interrupting their conversation as he settled into the seat next to him and ordering himself a drink.

"I thought you were supposed to be a silent guardian." Gabriel responded bitterly.

"I'm also one of Heaven's soldiers, Gabe. Apocalypse to stop, Seals to save. The only reason I'm allowed to be here is because you're a Hunter."

"I'm done hunting." Gabriel responded bitterly.

"You really aren't. Unlucky you, there's something happening in the next town over. Your brother and Anael are already there. Big Seal is breaking that my brothers are too otherwise occupied to handle it. Samuel pulled you from the pit and brought you back. Heaven is only letting you live for as long as you're useful to us."

"I'm not useful to Mikey when he needs a body to ride around?"

"You might be big bro's True Vessel but there's plenty of little Novaks running around that share your blood, which might be a bit of motivation for you. One of your illegitimate children, a girl by the name of Helena if our sources are correct, will be among the children being sacrificed tonight, assuming you can't save them."

Gabriel was far from surprised he had kids out there. The confirmation of this was a little painful because he briefly had to wonder just how many there were. He had been young and stupid, so very very stupid. Stupid and risky and a hundred different things.

However, Balthazar was right. This was motivation for him to get off his ass and help, because that was his daughter, even if he'd never met her. It wasn't right to leave her to die.

"Where's this happening?" He questioned Balthazar who smiled smugly at him before laying a hand on his shoulder and flying them away.

Bobby was going to kill him if he didn't get that car back.

They appeared in a new motel room where Dean was sitting at the top of the second bed, clearly arguing with Anna who was settled at the foot at it, her arms crossed over her chest and her back to him, her legs hanging off. Cas was sitting on the other bed with his head buried in a book and an irritated expression on his face.

"-done apologizing, Anna. If you want to blame someone, blame Father." Dean leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and looking past Gabriel at Balthazar. "Nice happy little family get together coming up. I've heard you love your drama."

"Already seems like one has started, _Debriel._ " Dean narrowed his eyes at Balthazar, "Don't seem so shocked. There's only one being in existence Anael has a reason to hate. The one that broke her heart, or lack of one."

"Fuck off, Balthazar." Anna told him bitterly as Gabriel sat down at the foot of Cas' bed.

"I'm good for now." Balthazar retorted, "Now, seeing as these schools are warded to high Heaven against the peasant angels, I'll leave Fallen Seraph numéro un and runaway Archangel numéro deux to do what they need. Don't call if you need me." A flutter of wings filled the air and the four of them were left there.

Gabriel looked over to see Cas sitting there watching him from behind his book with narrowed eyes, no doubt plotting to lecture him on his behavior. Gabriel wasn't in the mood for that, he'd already argued with Sam today and there were bigger problems at hand.

"So what seal is this?" Gabriel asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

" _Six hundred sixty-six children aged six, Souls destined for Hell, sacrificed beneath a blood moon."_ Dean recited off and Gabriel stared at him, "Of course six hundred and sixty-six are what are needed for the sacrifice, that didn't stop her from killing the others and feeding the rest to hellhounds."

"How in the _hell_ do you get six hundred and sixty-six six-year olds to damn themselves?" Gabriel asked incredulously.

"The same way you damned yourself, Gabriel. Ten years, sealed with a kiss. It's a simple process. Also bullshit because up until today the King of The Crossroads had a strict rule that no one under twelve could sell their Soul. Hell does what it wants and Heaven's not trying to stop it. Which means the fate of six hundred and sixty-six kids is in our hands."

"Don't forget Gabriel's kid." Anna said, shooting him a glare which he was a little annoyed by. Was she really angry with him for this?

"What can I say? I'm a fertile man, Anna." He responded earning an even more irritated glare which he just smiled at.

"There's one other thing." Dean shifted in his spot uncomfortably, "Lilith is the one doing the sacrifice. No one is going to kill or try to kill her."

"Who exactly is Lilith?" Gabriel asked at the same moment that Anna snapped, "Now we have to protect Lucifer's Soul?"

Dean shot a glare at Anna's back before speaking again, "Lucifer is still our brother, Anael. You might not have known him but he's still our brother all the same. It's one thing to kill an angel's Soul but there is nothing crueler than destroying said Soul. So, no. We aren't going to kill Lilith. We're going to stop the sacrifice and the Seals from snapping but we aren't killing Lilith. If anyone has an issue with that then I'll send you to France and only protect three of the children. Not including little Helena," Dean met his gaze with hostility, "Everyone clear?"

Anna pushed off the foot of the bed, storming past Gabriel and throwing open the door, slamming it shut behind her, Gabriel watched Dean with irritation before nodding once.

"Awesome. Let's get this over with so I can get back to the other Seals. I'll be back in five minutes."

And Dean was gone, which meant… "Gabe, I thought you were always careful."

"I was. With men. Not so much with women. I mean, what's the chance I knocked them up?"

Cas groaned and leaned back, "You're a terrible human being."

"Are you still pissed at me?" Gabriel asked, attempting and succeeding to change the subject.

"You mean for telling me that I'm not your responsibility anymore? I wasn't angry with you for that and you know it. I've never asked you to be responsible for me. I was angry that you ran off."

"You said 'was'." Gabriel pointed out.

"You didn't abandon me, you ran. You also came back."

"I didn't do it for you." Why he pointed that out? He wasn't sure. He just needed to say it.

"No, you did it for your illegitimate child." They sat in silence on that information for a couple minutes before Cas spoke up again, "Do you think we'll save her?"

"If we don't, we didn't know her." That was bullshit and Cas saw right through it, however he didn't comment on it. In truth, knowing made things so much worse. He wished that Balthazar hadn't told him that he had a daughter among the sacrifices.

Dean appeared in the room again, holding two silver blades that Gabriel had seen the angels wield against each other. "These will kill any demon you encounter, excluding the white-eyed ones. Angel blades are very powerful weapons, don't drop them."

Gabriel and Cas rose to their feet, taking the blades from Dean.

"Where did you get them?" Cas asked as he weighed his in hand. Gabe wasn't surprised by Cas' fascination with the blade as he'd always been better at wielding blades of any kind versus having to use guns, which in their profession, was always the better option.

"Nex. Hell has been stealing the blades of the angels they've killed."

"Do you trust her?" Gabriel asked, because he wanted to know if Dean was stupid enough to trust a demon.

Dean shook his head, "I trust her less than I've trusted any creature I've ever met. She wasn't made the ruler of Hell for nothing and she doesn't ride around in little girls for no reason. She's useful though and it's better to keep an eye on her."

Gabriel nodded and Dean stretched before looking towards the door, "Let's go."


	17. 16: Right Things Wrong Reasons

They, being Gabriel, Anna, Cas, and Dean, materialized in a large field filled with kids. All of them six years old, many of them covered in bruises and scratches. At the front of the gathered crowd of children stood a hauntingly familiar child, standing on a large platform. Familiar because she had the same hair as him, her facial structure too similar not to be his child.

Gabriel went to step forward but was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm.

"Just in time for the party!" The girl on the singsonged as a fire erupted next to them. Gabriel barely had a chance to pull Cas out of the way before a circle of fire surrounded Dean and horror covered his face. Seconds later both him and Cas were forced to the ground so that they were sitting, fighting against the demonic influence.

"Debriel!" The girl bounced off the stage, skipping past the children with ease, all the while her pure white eyes resting on the Archangel who was frozen in place.

"Lilith." Dean responded coldly, familiarly.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't recognize them? Just as beautiful as the real things." The child smiled sweetly. "Of course, you never _were_ the Archangel for me." Her gaze snapped over to Gabriel and Cas. "The boys of nothing are making themselves quite known." Her gaze rested on Cas for far longer than Gabriel was comfortable with and the only thing keeping him quiet was the fact that she'd cut off his voice. "I heard Cassie here is supposed to host my lover. Can't say I see it. Far too… tainted." Lilith made a face before looking past them at Anna. "I must say, Anael. You have helped me dearly. Allow me to return the favor."

Lilith offered her hand and Anna stepped forward, taking it. Before anyone could react, a blade materialized in Lilith's free hand and she'd plunged it into Anna's chest, a terrible scream ripping through the clearing, white light rippling through the air as her corpse slumped to the ground, ashy outlines of… _angel wings, bones_ covering the ground in front of him.

"You son of a bitch!" Dean shouted from behind the flames, Lilith returning her gaze to Dean as she wiped the angel blade off on her clothes. That was his daughter she was possessing. His blood and he was paralyzed to help her. What had this demon done to her?

"Careful now, Deb. I might not be able to kill you but can you imagine the elegant torture Alistair could inflict if I offered him a fully restrained Archangel?"

"Lucifer would never-"

Lilith cut Dean off before he could finish, her words sharp. "Lucifer would do anything I asked him. If I asked him to lay siege on Heaven he would do it without a thought. I didn't realize it until your asshole of a brother imprisoned him. I had so much influence over The Lightbringer. I regret some of it. Not all of it." She paused, tilting her head and eying Dean curiously, "Do you know just what your Father did to Lucifer and myself? Do you have any idea how I truly came to be as I am? I know you aren't naïve and stupid as your brothers were."

"Be careful how you talk about them, Lilith." Dean told her warningly which she responded to by laughing sharply.

"Big scary Archangel." She smiled knowingly at Dean, "You won't lay a hand on me. Not now, not ever. I'm Lucifer's Soul and he's your brother. A brother you'd never dare to harm like that. Losing a Soul is one thing, can you imagine the raw agony of that Soul being completely destroyed? Now quiet, Deb. I want to talk to Mike's Vessel." The white eyes demon walked over to Gabriel and knelt in front of him, her white eyes staring into his, "I'm going to make you a deal, Gabriel Novak. A singular one-time offer." She settled down in front of him, crossing her legs and using her powers to force him to keep looking at her. "Your daughter is still in here. I'm not completely sadistic. She's been asleep since I possessed her. I'm going to give you a choice."

With a wave of her hand Gabriel was free from her demonic control. The only thing keeping him from attacking her then and there was because of who she was wearing. "I'll leave this Seal alone. I won't kill the remaining children. _If_ you kill your daughter. If you take that angel blade and you plunge it into my heart."

Gabriel stared into those white eyes with anger. He could do it. That was the worst part. He was considering it. If he killed her then all of those other hellbound children would be free from the sacrifice. Their souls would still be damned but they'd survive.

"Tell you what? I'll toss in freeing them all of their deals. All of them except this one. You don't know her. Never have known her. Sacrifice one person to save six hundred and sixty-five children. So many have died tonight. No one else has to. Just murder your daughter, Gabriel Novak."

Gabriel tossed a glance to Dean who was watching their conversation with silence. Clearly, he had no intentions on trying to stop Gabriel if he did it. A glance over at Cas told him something else entirely. His brother was telling him 'no' with that singular look. His gaze went back to Lilith.

"How about, fuck off?" He asked in his sweetest voice.

Lilith pushed to her feet in one movement and turned to face the children that were gathered. "Oh, Gabriel. That was a stupid choice. She's going to die either way." She cleared her throat and began making her way back through the crowd. To his minor surprise she didn't paralyze him again. In fact, a glance over at Cas who was pushing to his feet and pulling off his shirt revealed neither of them were being restrained anymore. "Let me tell you. I'm surprised. Mike would've smote her in an instant if the ends justified the means. In fact, for your stupidity. I'm going to sacrifice her first." She laughed, the sound slightly deranged, as she climbed back onto the stage. Just as she turned around Dean appeared behind her. Gabriel glanced over to see Cas kneeling next to the fire with his shirt covering a segment of the fire.

Dean said something quiet that Gabriel couldn't hear from the distance before he plunged a normal knife into her chest. The child let out a scream and Lilith smoked out.

.-~*~-.

Gabriel sat at the edge of the motel bed and watched the child sleep. Her clothes were still bloody but Dean had healed her wounds. Behind him on the other bed was a dead woman. A woman he hadn't seen in a very long time. A woman he only vaguely remembered from a drugged-out haze.

"Dean will bring her back." Cas told him firmly.

"If he can't?" Gabriel asked his brother without looking behind him.

Gabriel jerked his attention to the motel door as it opened, "He can't bring 'er back."

Dalara. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" He demanded as he rose to his feet. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh don' get all pissy on me, Gabe. I'm here t' help. Mother Dearest's Soul was hellbound. Sorry t' say it but your Archangel ain't gettin' 'er back."

"How do you know about Dean?" Cas asked suspiciously from behind Gabriel.

"Nex told me. Nice to know you ain't tryin' to kill me this time. 'nfortunately, Nex couldn't get 'er hands on that soul 'fore it was sent to the racks."

"What are you doing here?" He asked the female hunter as he sat back down, watching the girl closely.

"Playing stork." Dalara answered bluntly and Gabriel shot her a confused look. "You've got a motherless damned child on y'ur hands and I've got an ex and her girlfriend who's been wantin' a child for years."

"An ex?" He questioned her and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Hot chick and 'er girlfriend that I saved a couple years back. She got possessed by this demon and things got real nasty real fast. Saved 'em and the rest's history. I've kept in touch and she's been askin' 'bout me findin' her a kid. 'course she was thinkin' 'long the lines of skinwalker but hey, human kid whose gonna be eternally ruined by demonic possession. Right down 'er alley."

Gabriel searched Dalara for several moments, trying to pick up if she was lying. From what he could see, she wasn't.

"How'd you hear about his daughter?" Cas spoke up from behind him.

"His daughter?" The girl's gaze turned sharp as she looked between Gabriel and the child, a look of realization dawning on her expression. "Gotta say, Gabe. Didn' see ya as the fatherly type. More the alcoholic uncle." Her gaze met his and he looked away. "I'm offerin' you an out. I know ya don't wanna get drug into playin' father for a kid ya don' know. This girl's gonna be screwed t' high hell. Lilith rode her ass and I don't doubt she didn't kill while wearin' her." Dalara's words turned softer on the next part. "Righ' now she's lookin' at an eternity in Hell 'cause the deal that was pushed on her. If ya don't believe me on that, believe this. She's gonna be needin the kinda help you can't give 'er. I've gotta make a trip down t' Hell. Get 'er mom's corpse outta here 'fore she wakes up at the very least." Gabriel looked up to see her searching him before she turned and made her way out the door again.

"I think she's right." Gabriel admitted after he was sure she was gone.

"Are you sure, Gabe?" Cas asked after a moment of silence.

"She hasn't given me a reason not to trust her yet."

"She just happens to show up right after this? How does none of that strike you as suspicious?"

"I can't bring her back." Dean told them gravely after appearing in the room.

Gabriel shot his brother an 'I told you so' look which was responded to with a glare.

"Someone's been here." Dean looked around, "Someone demonic." His gaze shot over to Gabriel who was less than happy to need to explain that.

"Girl named Dalara whose been hanging around. She was on the rack for ten years Earth time. Nex pulled her off of it.

Unease flashed across Dean's expression. "That shouldn't be possible. I can't bring her mom back. Figure something out with the kid." Then he was gone.

.-~*~-.

Dean had been around longer than most any creature. Once Dean had been Debriel, Archangel of The Lord, all-powerful being, and deliverer of God's training to the angels. Debriel had been the most loved Archangel in Heaven, worshipped in secret by many of the younger angels. Debriel had been there from The Beginning. Debriel had watched as God rose Adam and Lilith from the Earth's soil. Watched as Eve was created from Adam after the things with Lilith went poorly.

Dean wasn't Debriel anymore. Dean hadn't been an Archangel in a long time. He had joined up with a goddess for many years, before and after he met his Soul. Debriel had been Artemis for a very long time, and he had remained her until he found his True Vessel. Debriel's True Vessel was a man by the name of Dean, whom he had taken the name of after consent had been given. Debriel, Artemis, hadn't pushed for consent in the beginning. He had felt the birth of Dean and had waited. Waited twenty years to ask. By his luck, or lack of, Dean had been stubborn, which was respectable, and had refused for ten years before finally agreeing.

Over those years of waiting, Debriel had finally found the right combination of sigils to completely cut himself off from Heaven. Prayers and Angel Radio were gone except Raphael's demands that he return home. No matter what he did, he could never completely lock away from the other Archangels. It was lonely, not speaking to them, but easier.

Perfecting the wards necessary was a lot of trial and error and resulted in the deaths of a lot of mostly innocent humans. However, in the end he had successfully locked himself away from Heaven and was ready for when Dean would ultimately give him consent.

It was after the death of the man's family that consent had been given. A 'yes' in exchange for allowing his Soul to move on.

It was the least he could have done for the man.

Being alone in a Vessel was a new experience for him. In his past Vessels he had been able to access the thoughts and memories of that person. Without that, for the first time in existence, he was truly alone other than Raphael's occasional though mostly stopped demands he returned to Heaven.

It took a few years of being Dean before he began accepting Soul bonds. Just to give him a semblance of not being alone. At any given time, he had held onto at least six Soul bonds. It was never anywhere close to what he had in Heaven with thousands of angels whispering among each other. It was never like the hundreds of thousands of prayers he had received in his years as Artemis. But it was something. Those Soul bonds opened him up to the minds of the Souls. A constant telepathic link with mostly selfish humans. It was something and gave him something. He was functional.

Until the day Castiel and Gabriel had summoned him.

The second he saw them he had _known._ Even with all of his Grace locked away under heavy warding, he had _known_. True Vessels had Souls marked from the moment of creation. A warning label in place telling the other Archangels to back off.

Dean _should_ have backed off. Honestly, he should've. If these two were True Vessels, one tainted by demon blood, it wasn't hard to guess _who_ they belonged to. It wasn't hard to piece together that The Apocalypse was nigh and he needed to get as far away from them as inhumanly possible.

Until an idea formed.

Maybe, if he could stop The Apocalypse, Dad would return. All he needed to do was keep a close eye on the Vessels, create a Soul Bond with Castiel that allowed him to lock away that tainted piece, then he could monitor the rest. Keep things under control.

At least that was the plan.

Raphael was remembered as an angel of healing. It was his legacy. It was also inaccurate. Just as Debriel had never made it into the stories, too much of his time spent in Heaven, Raphael's story had left him known as a healer.

Raphael was more than that. Just as he could heal a human being from any ailment brought on by any being excluding God Himself, Raphael could also give a human being any disease of choice. Raphael could give a human a disease and make it so no other being could heal or cure them of that disease. When Dean had learned that Cas was sick, he had seen the truth of the illness. It was impossible to heal him and yet, when he saw the impossible illness, Dean had almost unlatched his Grace for the first time in years. Had almost launched himself straight to Heaven and demanded that the brother be healed.

It was only a brief moment of thought but it changed everything. Dean came to the terrible realization that he cared about the damned brothers. More Cas than Gabe but it didn't change the fact that he _cared._

That was when things had fallen apart. Dean had gone to every contact on the planet, calling in favors from every deity in the books, both on good and bad terms with him, trying to get help. No one had agreed. No one had been willing to help. Actually, that wasn't accurate, Loki had told him he would've helped if he could.

There was nothing left that he could do.

No one Dean could go to.

That being said, Gabriel did something stupid. Something that nearly solidified The End. Gabriel went and summoned a damned crossroads demon and demanded that it heal his brother. If Raphael had not been planning for it, there would've been no way for that demon to actually be able to do it. Which meant that Heaven was overstepping its bounds. It meant that Raphael and Michael were pushing to free Lucifer so that they could have Paradise. Which pissed him off.

This wasn't meant to be pushed. It had its own natural order and line. He didn't need to tune into Archangel Radio to know that his older brothers had manipulated things.

Which meant the inevitable.

They would have to stop the Seals from breaking.

He had worked quickly but there were limits to what he could do. Traveling to Hell was too big of a risk. In Hell he couldn't cloak himself. In Hell his wings would spread and he would be a beacon if any demon saw him.

The first thing Dean did was lock away certain ancient artifacts, things that had to be destroyed to open Seals.

Maybe if it wasn't for his attempts to help Cas through the loss of his brother, he could've done more. As it was, he successfully locked forty seals down in places that the demons and angels, that would ultimately side with Lucifer, would never be able to find them.

Then, for the first time in a very long time, Dean heard something spoken. Something that never should've had the power to break through the wards on his Grace.

' _Gabriel Novak has been saved!'_

Samuel had broken through some of the most powerful warding on Earth to announce that he had freed a Soul. That was impossible. There was nothing short of another Archangel or their Father that would've been able to overpower the wards carved into his Vessel.

And yet, he had.

Dean remembered Samuel, as he remembered all the angels. Though he attempted not to, he remembered them all. The distinct sights and feelings of their graces. The specifics of their wings and the slight differences in each of their angel blades. The only thing Dean had never stopped doing was visiting Heaven once per year to pay respects to the angels that took their lives. No matter how little he was Debriel, these were his brothers.

Meeting Samuel again had been comforting, even if his younger brother couldn't see his True Form, it was something. It was the closest to home he had been in thousands of years. The first time he had seen his younger brother it had set his Grace off and only by his own frantic movements and the absorption Samuel had in his Soul that Dean had been able to run before his cover was blown.

Fast forward and everything kept falling apart, there were things happening that Michael never would have allowed. Which left Debriel to assume Michael had nothing to do with what was happening anymore, though he couldn't be sure without directly reconnecting to Archangel Radio. Raphael would demand on a daily basis that he returned to Heaven to meld with Samael. The only thing he had never been able to stop hearing was the other Archangels.

In the end, it was ultimately his interactions with Nex lead to his identity being revealed. And no, despite his desires to blame the entire mess on the demon, her impure intentions were pure. From what he'd been able to tell. Except there was what Gabriel had mentioned. Nex had pulled a Soul off the racks.

Information that had sent him flying straight to Hell. A single slipup, arriving a moment too early in Hell while another angel was visiting The Hell Queen.

One single stupid mistake and he was doomed.

.-~*~-.

Jofiel, one of his younger brothers who was still unsure whether to side with Hell or not, had spotted him upon arrival. The younger angel's entire posture had gone submissive, his wings bowing before the Archangel. Clearly out of reflex more than anything because in the next moment the younger angel had flown for Heaven.

Everything had happened too fast following that, far too fast.

Something had grabbed hold of his Grace and ripped upwards, ripped him straight from Hell and into Heaven.

" _Debriel."_

Debriel, not Dean, Dean was a god with limited power. In that moment, he was Debriel. In Heaven he had to be Debriel, Archangel of The Lord, all-powerful being, and deliverer of God's training to the angels. If he remained cloaked in Heaven he wouldn't have a chance to defend himself. For the first time in thousands of years he freed his Grace completely, he melted the wards from his Vessel and allowed his twelve wings to spread and bristle behind him, high and tall. A warning to his brother, to Raphael.

Now that he had removed the wards from his Vessel, he could _hear_ again. He could hear and feel it all. Every single angel in existence, Lucifer's promises to them, the weak thoughts of another Archangel. _Samael._ His mind supplied though he had never seen or felt him. Nothing from Michael. Michael wasn't there. He wasn't dead but he was gone. Raphael was the only truly powerful Archangel in Heaven. Something he'd begun to suspect.

There was a reason he had been dragged back to Heaven. Something that couldn't have happened if it hadn't been for him being in Hell. Samael. Samael, whose Grace reached for him from wherever he was. Samael, who no one knew anything about. Samael, the Archangel that was easy to forget.

Debriel stood before Raphael, eying the other Archangel's temporary Vessel with irritation. Never had Debriel stooped so low as to use a Vessel that would eventually be destroyed by his presence. Yes, he had destroyed Vessels during his time of practicing to ward his Vessel, but he had _warned_ them it would kill them. There were lines even he would not cross. Debriel could tell Raphael hadn't told the human that the possession would probably destroy her.

"Raphael." He greeted, not trying to bury any of the hostility or anger.

"Welcome home, brother." Was Raphael's less than welcoming response.

"Funny you say that. This isn't home. Hasn't been for a long time. Ever think this was my reason for heading out?"

"You had no right to leave!" Raphael's wings flared out behind him, millions upon billions of heavy shades of greens that had always countered his own lighter shades. A sight that would've sent a lesser angel running. Not Debriel. Debriel had trained all of Heaven's angels excluding Michael. Debriel was a warrior. Raphael would never be able to match him if they fought. No matter who was the elder brother.

"The only one who can order us to do anything is Father. Father is gone, brother." A smirk crossed his face, "Don't pretend your intentions are pure. You're trying to force Michael to return. This isn't about me or Samael. I wasn't the only one that left. This is all about Michael. Getting Michael back."

"This isn't about him, _brother_." Raphael responded bitterly, Grace recoiling in his Vessel visibly as though Dean had hit him.

It wasn't until that moment that Dean understood, the idea was slightly sickening but only just. There were things so much worse. This was what he needed. Something to piss his brother off. "Michael promised you eternity, didn't he? And they say Lucifer was the corrupt one. You and Michael promised each other eternity. Eternity so you wouldn't ever Fall as far as Lucifer. I have done a lot of stupid shit over the years but, Raphael. That is a line even I didn't cross. I would've never screwed around with you or Michael or Lucifer. It might make me sick." Debriel paused, lowering his wings slightly, "Except it makes sense. Both of you were afraid." Dean chuckled, shaking his head, "The original four, we are so damned corrupt. So imperfect. The most broken of them all."

"Shut your mouth, _Debriel_." Raphael warned, drawing his blade.

Debriel continued on as though his older brother hadn't spoken, "Michael ran. He ran from home just like I did. That broke you, didn't it? I know I destroyed Anael. But for _Michael_ to abandon his post. For him to _abandon_ you." Debriel chuckled darkly, "You loved him in all the wrong ways and he gave you an empty promise. He didn't leave for a Soul. He left because he didn't want you, or maybe it was Heaven. It doesn't matter. You weren't broken by your Soul. You haven't been on Earth enough to find yours. You were broken by Michael and then you lied to Heaven, right? Told them all you lost your Soul. After all, they believe whatever crap we feed them so it worked. Michael left though and it ruined you."

"Shut your mouth, Debriel!" Raphael shouted and waved three of his wing sets in one sharp movement that might've sent Debriel falling back if he hadn't been prepared. "This _isn't_ about _Michael_. This is about _you._ _You_ , Debriel. _You_ have a responsibility."

Debriel allowed his brother to shift the conversation, his brother was riled up. It was what he needed. When Raphael was angry he didn't act rationally, he lashed out. If this was going to be a battle, he wanted that advantage. "Samael isn't my responsibility. Samael's a freak accident that you should've smote the second you discovered." At last he reached out with his Grace and allowed himself to search Heaven to find _where_ the youngest Archangel was being held.

His Grace flared up in anger at what he discovered, now _he_ was angry, which was dangerous. It didn't matter. _"_ You sadistic _sonofabitch!"_ Debriel shouted then was flying forward, his Archangel blade clashing with his older brother's and rattling the very fabric of Heaven. "You have _no right_ to keep him prisoner!"

" _I had no choice!_ " Raphael retaliated, his True Voice ringing behind his words as the temporary Vessel struggled to contain the Archangel's rage. In Debriel's rashness and Raphael's prepared reaction, the older Archangel managed to get enough leverage behind his blade to send his younger brother stumbling back several feet. " _Place her_. _Meld_ with her. Do it and she will be _free_. Free to be whoever _Father_ would have wanted."

" _Fuck. You."_ Debriel spat out.

Debriel drew back his blade again, prepared to slash it across the other Archangel. He launched himself forward and…

Debriel hit a wall, a wall that shouldn't have existed. An invisible wall that burned his Grace upon touching. A wall that sent him recoiling backwards away from it. "Oh how far you've Fallen, brother."

"What are you doing to me?" Debriel ground out, his wings flaring behind him helplessly. His entire Vessel was locked behind an invisible wall. He tried to vacate, just to see if he could do it, but he was trapped. Truly trapped.

Raphael held his blade out as he approached him, a dark look in his eyes. "Surely you recognize them, brother." He motioned to the ground before him with the blade and Debriel followed it.

This was something he _did_ recognize, parts of anyways. It was something he had trained the Keepers of Heaven's Prison to burn into the cells and keep maintained. Those were strong but not this strong. Not on this scale. Those weren't made for an Archangel; Raphael had tweaked them.

Beneath his feet was a very intricate pattern of wards embroidered into an Archangel's Trap. The wards bound his Archangel powers and the trap bound him within its confines. It wouldn't hold him for forever but it could hold him for a while.

He jerked his gaze back to Raphael as his brother snapped his fingers casually.

A shimmering ball of Grace materialized next to his older brother, still young. Six beautiful sets of wings rested behind him. So many beautiful shades of reds and blacks that Debriel recognized without ever seeing him. _Samael._ The young Archangel's form shook with fear and anger, wards carved directly into their youngest brother's form. Wards burned directly into his Grace to confine him. It wasn't right. Raphael had _no right._

"One more time, Debriel. You will meld with her."

Debriel almost surrendered. Debriel almost gave in. Samael was a ticking time bomb of pure raw power. Pure raw power that Raphael had absolutely _no right to_. Pure raw power that Debriel suspected Raphael was taking advantage of.

It was the part of him that had spent years as Artemis, that was and still is _Dean_ , that told him _no._ That part of him reminded him of his plan. Of what he was doing. Of why he was doing it. If he did this, he would be doing what Father wanted. If he did this, he would be surrendering to His will.

"No." Dean told the Archangel, because he was Dean, he was _not_ an Archangel, not anymore. That was what was important here. That was the whole purpose of running. _Dean_ was _Dean._ Not _Debriel_. Debriel was _gone._

"No?" Raphael stared at him disbelievingly before he quickly masked it with dark rage, "That is the wrong answer, brother."

"You _won't_ harm him again. _Never_ again will you harm Samael. I also _won't_ surrender to Heaven's will. If Father doesn't like it, he can smite me where I stand. Fuck you and fuck Heaven."

"You-"

What Dean did next was the most dangerous thing he had ever done. The stupidest thing he could've possibly done. This trap was targeting his Grace. It was targeting an Archangel. _Dean_ wasn't an Archangel _Dean_ was a Pagan god.

There would be almost no time for him to do what he needed to, do but he had to free Samael. Dean needed to free the youngest Archangel. Samael was young and deserved none of the things he was going through. Those wards _could_ be removed. With the right intellect. Debriel had spent years perfecting the placement of wards in his Vessel using nothing more than Pagan magic.

In one sharp movement Dean stored Debriel's Archangel blade within his god power. Before Raphael could finish his sentence, he plunged his hand into and through his own chest, choking out a strangled sound as he latched onto what made Dean _Debriel._

Debriel's Grace came out of him in one agonizing movement and he felt the ground pulling him. Felt the agonizing ripping pain as with his Grace, his wings were torn from him.

If Dean hadn't been a god, Debriel would've Fallen in that moment. Fallen to Earth and been reborn. The act of Debriel's Grace being ripped from his Vessel would've destroyed it.

Dean was still in it, his Pagan magic held his Vessel together even as the Earth pulled against him.

Dean released it and Debriel's Grace Fell.

Debriel Fell. Debriel was gone.

All that was left was the Pagan god. Artemis, Dean.

Closing the eyes of his Vessel before the sight of the Archangel before him could burn them out. Dean used one sharp burst of Pagan god magic. At this point he wasn't sure he'd survive this. It was too late to back out.

Dean launched himself across the space between them, slamming through Samael and using his Pagan magic to cut through the wards within the young Archangel's Grace. It took the last of Dean's Pagan magic to tear apart those wards. If it wasn't for the wards the action of going through Samael would've killed him in an instance. Instead it didn't. Instead he went out the other side, completely out of god magic.

Dean, the Pagan god, Fell.


	18. 17: Falling From Heaven Is Very Damaging

Three things happened in a very quick succession following Dean leaving. First, the little girl sat up straight and looked around the room panicking before seeing her dead mother and screaming. Second, Balthazar appeared, covered in that golden blood, waving his hand and making his drawn blade disappear before finally, third, Balthazar looked between the three of them before grabbing his shoulder then laying a hand on the child and disappearing with the both of them.

Balthazar landed them in Bobby's spare bedroom, Castiel stumbling slightly and watching as Balthazar tapped the girl he'd set on the bed's forehead and knocking her unconscious before disappearing in a flutter of wings.

What had just happened?

A few seconds later there was a commotion from downstairs. After checking on the girl to make sure she was still breathing, Castiel rushed out the room and ran down the stairs, catching the backend of a conversation.

"What the fuck did I do!" Gabe's angry voice came from downstairs.

"You were born." Balthazar's even angrier voice snapped back causing Castiel to pause at the bottom of the steps. "Now do what you're supposed to and be a good little Soul. This whole one-sided pining thing is Hell. My brother's too blind to humanity to see it and you're a bigger dumbass than any Soul I've ever seen."

Castiel stumbled back as Balthazar appeared in front of him, causing him to fall back on the steps. Calm and collected the angel offered his hand which Castiel suspiciously took, allowing him to help him to his feet.

"I'm throwing caution to the wind. Whether he knows it or not, Sam's in love with his Dad awful Soul. Your halfwit of a brother needs to get a hint because shit just hit the fan in Heaven and-oh bloody hell!" Balthazar shoved him back, all but throwing himself over Castiel before the entire foundation of the house rattled and an explosion sounded.

Everything following that was a bit confusing. There was a terrible ringing sound in his ears and the distinctive sight of Balthazar waving a hand in front of his face. Smoke and dust covered the sky behind the angel and… funny. The sky? Why was Castiel seeing the sky when he was clearly aware that he was in Bobby's house. His head hurt too. That was even stranger. That was about all he could feel at first, until it wasn't. There was a terrible pain in his stomach… in his side… one of his hands moved towards where the pain was coming from and… there was _something_ there. Something protruding from his side. Another hand swiped his hand away as he went to grab it, it hurt. Oh god did it hurt. The more he thought about that the more aware he became of how bad he _hurt_. Everything. Oh, the number of times he'd broken and cracked bones. Never on this scale. He'd hurt himself countless times but never like this. The pain in his side amplified when he tried to move and he was pretty sure he shouted. Above him he could faintly see Balthazar's mouth moving but the words…

A hand touched the side of his head and some of the pain in the rest of him subsided, all it did was amplify that god-awful pain in his side.

"Cas!" Gabe's voice was distant, farther away. Oh, did it hurt. Blackness danced across his vision and he found himself longing for it. Darkness, darkness meant peace, darkness meant no pain.

"Don't… die… Cas…iel No…ak." Balthazar's words didn't quite register with him. Why would they? Why did it matter?

"Heal him!" Gabe's clear voice came through and it was almost comical.

" _I can heal you."_ Something foreign whispered to him, something new, something right. It sang to him, the words were a promise. They were something to grab onto. They felt right and familiar. As though he'd heard them a hundred thousand times before and yet, he didn't recognize the voice. It didn't matter. It was comforting, soothing and he was dying. _"All I need is a yes."_

Wasn't he told not to say yes? Why was he told not to say yes? Why did anything matter anymore? All of these questions sank away as blackness engulfed him.

.-~*~-.

"Balthazar, what the fuck just happened! Heal him! Now!" Gabriel was shouting, ignoring his own injuries. He'd been hit by some of the debris but most of it had missed him, only saved because he'd been kneeling next to the couch trying to coax Sam into consciousness. Now though. Now there was a bigger problem. Sam was still unconscious on the couch, a piece of wood having barely missed piercing his unconscious, bloody form. Naomi, Balthazar had told him. That was a problem for later. Sam was alive.

His brother on the other hand, his brother was on the stairs with Balthazar half kneeling over him trying to keep him conscious. There was a piece of wood protruding from his side where it had struck him. To be honest, Gabriel wasn't even completely sure _how_ it had managed to strike him there. All he knew was his brother was getting paler by the second, shouting incoherently while Balthazar knelt there and did _nothing_.

"I can't heal him with this piece of wood in his side. If I rip it out it'll kill him before I can heal him." Balthazar snapped back at him. "Gabriel, there's nothing I can do. Damnit. There's nothing I can do." Balthazar shuddered, his shoulders twitching and Gabriel was briefly reminded of when Sam would get irritated at him when they were in his dreams. "Bullshit Souls and bullshit Archangels."

"You can possess him." Gabriel blurted as he forced his way to his dying brother's side. Either Cas had passed out from the pain, or he was almost dead. Either way his little brother's eyes were closed and _damnit_. His brother's chest was rising and falling rapidly, blood pooling from the corners of his lips. Gabriel couldn't tell for sure but he was beginning to suspect that the wood was just long enough that it had punctured his brother's lung.

"I'm an angel. I can't possess without a 'yes' and he's not stupid enough for it."

"Tell him to say yes. Tell him to let you save him. Tell him who you are and tell him to let you save him because if he doesn't I'm summoning a damned crossroads demon. He is _not_ dying here. I didn't go to Hell for fifty years for him to die because a damned meteor tore through the house." Gabriel demanded, still trying to fully comprehend what the hell had happened.

Balthazar shot him an angry look that told him he wouldn't let Gabriel carry that threat out before he touched Cas' temple, whispering silently. Of course, Gabriel wouldn't have carried it out anyways. Going back to Hell? That was the last thing on his list. It didn't matter that he wouldn't actually do it because he needed that threat to linger to keep his stupid ass of a brother from dying on him.

"Cas, tell him 'yes'. I came to a shitty, or possibly great, realization before we were attacked by a UFO and I know you'd be thrilled to hear it. Say 'yes' and let the dumbass angel save your life."

Balthazar shot a glare at him before his eyes began to glow a bluish white, he looked back over at Cas as the glow intensified and a terrible ringing sound tore through the room. Gabriel had no choice but to shield his eyes against the white and even then, it still was nearly blinding white light. Then it stopped. When Gabriel looked back over Balthazar's vessel was stumbling back with obvious confusion while Cas, whose eyes were glowing with that light, no, this was Balthazar. Not his brother. Balthazar reached down and ripped the wood from his side, coughing up blood as he sat upright, grimacing in pain as the exterior wounds caused by the wood began to glow with white light.

"This is so wrong. I shouldn't have done this." Balthazar said almost too quiet for Gabriel to hear. The vessel had stumbled back and was speaking incoherent words in French, at least he was pretty sure it was French, that had Gabriel wanting to punch him just to shut him up. It probably wasn't the brightest idea to punch a vessel that needed to give consent. Especially when Balthazar was riding around in his brother now. Balthazar finally said something loudly in that same language that Gabriel was half certain was a vulgarity. "The two of you have the worst luck on the face of the planet." Balthazar told him and it was _weird_. When Balthazar spoke with his brother's mouth the words were less rough. Softer, and it was just _weird._

"He's going to live?" Gabriel asked uneasily.

"He's going to live. I hope you realize you just made me jump Lucifer's Vessel. If he gets free and finds out, I'll be on his first to smite list."

"You didn't have to do it." Gabriel retorted, watching Balthazar closely this time.

"I did." The angel responded defensively, his shoulders moving again and…

That was interesting. Balthazar's physical movements matched Sam almost perfectly. The way he physically reacted was always the same when it came to his wings. Every single time. Balthazar's subtle movements almost mirrored them in every way. That particular movement was reserved for when Sam flared his wings in a warning manner, even if he'd never seen a solid image of them. It hadn't been hard to piece it together.

"He's your soul." Gabriel stated bluntly and Balthazar shot him a bitter look, not answering. "I'm not getting involved in that. One soul drama crap is enough for me. I've got to figure out how the hell to tell Sam that I'm probably in love with him. I'm not dealing with you and my brother."

"We don't have to love our Souls." Balthazar said bitterly, "I won't love him and he won't love me. It's a fact. While popular consensus is that we do, it isn't cemented and I have no interest. Neither of us will ever have interest in it. So, I'm his Guardian. That's it. Don't you dare tell anyone else. I don't want my siblings using him as leverage to force me to come back to Heaven."

"I won't tell anyone." Gabriel promised as he rose to his feet, his gaze wandering up and his throat closing as something finally registered with him. That meteor, or whatever it had been, had torn through the roof of the house. It had destroyed a good chunk of the upstairs.

"Balthazar, where did you put the kid?" Gabriel asked, his stomach churning slightly as he stared up the steps.

"The-" Balthazar turned his attention up the stairs, "Who was she?" The angel asked instead of answering. So she'd been there. She'd been drug into the house against her will. The poor kid had been manipulated into selling her soul and now…

Gabriel swallowed, looking away. "It doesn't matter. Get out of my brother."

Balthazar searched him for a moment before responding. "It's going to take me a minute, or ten. Healing isn't quite as easy when you're cut off from Heaven." Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the other angel, confused. Cut off from Heaven? "Later. Go outside. There's going to be a crater. That wasn't a meteor. That was Debriel. You're going to pull my nightmare of a dumbass older brother out of the hole and give him a hunter's funeral because he was once Artemis and Artemis always had a soft spot for hunters."

"That was _Dean_?" Gabriel asked disbelievingly, Balthazar ignored him, shutting his eyes and taking a breath.

Gabriel focused on that instead. On Dean. If he focused on Dean he didn't have to think of the kid that had been damned and killed. If he focused on Dean he didn't have to question how the fuck his life had gone so far out of proportion. That deal had been the biggest God damned mistake of his life. He loved his brother. He'd gone to Hell for him. This though. This wasn't worth it. One kiss and he'd all but ended the damned world. If he had the choice, he'd go back and tell himself exactly how stupid of an idea it was. He'd tell himself to suck it the fuck up and let his brother die because the alternative was worse.

Gabriel stepped out the door after checking on his angel to find him still unconscious, the damage the meteor, or, apparently, Dean, had done was tremendous. The archangel had ripped a hole halfway through the house and crash-landed into some of the many broken cars.

His movements were careful as he approached the massive hole the archangel had left in the yard. It was at least twenty feet deep and at least fifteen feet wide all around. The ground around it was smoking, some of it burning a brilliant red and threatening to catch fire. At the bottom of the hole, in the center laid a familiar body. Curled up, covered in large bleeding gashes and bruises, clothes all but burnt off, rested Dean's body. How the hell was he supposed to drag the body o-

His thought process was cut off when the body in the hole twitched. It was a faint sight, barely visible, but there. Dean moved. A few seconds later the archangel made a strangled sound and tried to roll over.

 _Balthazar, he's not dead._ He prayed absently as he knelt down next to the hole, "Dean, can you hear me?" The body in the hole muttered something so quiet that if Gabriel hadn't been listening closely he would've missed the sound. He paced around the hole, trying to figure out how the hell to drag the archangel out of the thing. He was obviously severely injured and just by looking at him Gabriel could tell the being wasn't going to move on his own. If he wasn't an archangel, Gabriel would've been baffled that the man was still alive.

Just as Gabriel was tying off an old chain to one of the cars to use it to drag the archangel out of the hole Balthazar and Cas emerged from the house, his younger brother still pale but other than that functional. The angel looking like he hadn't slept in days. A few seconds later Sam appeared in the door, watching them in silence with a slightly vacant expression on his face. Gabriel dropped the chain and stared across the space at him. He was so fucked. The second he'd heard Balthazar tell him just where Sam had been he had realized how truly fucked he was. It was funny how the prospect of death did that. Or the aftermath of being tortured at the hands of a psycho Seraph, potentially brainwashed. Sam stood there in the doorframe and for a brief moment all Gabriel could do was stare across the space between them, then he was reminded of what was happening and he forced himself to turn his attention to Balthazar and Cas as they approached.

"He's alive." He told them bluntly as Balthazar looked down the hole and shook his head.

"Debriel's dead." Balthazar responded before disappearing and reappearing in the hole. Gabriel peered down and watched the angel lift the archangel… or not archangel? He was still breathing slightly though. It made no sense unless…

"His vessel?" He questioned the angel who shook his head, heaving Dean over his shoulder and earning a pained sound from the being. They disappeared and when Gabriel looked up Sam was going back inside. Cas stepped between him and the house before he could make his way in and by the determined look on his brother's face he knew he wasn't getting out of this conversation.

"You were going to summon a demon again, Gabe? Are you _kidding_ me?" Gabriel stepped back at the pure raw unconcealed rage that manifested on his brother's face and slipped through his words.

"Um…" He held his hands out, trying to put on the most innocent expression he could muster because he really didn't feel like getting punched. Especially considering he hadn't been lucky enough to get an angel healing and there was a slight throbbing still pounding in the back of his skull where he'd hit it on the table. "I wasn't going to do it. I had Balthazar lie."

That seemed to do it because seconds later his little brother had thrown a punch that Gabriel, honestly, should've been prepared for. Just by his luck he landed next to rather than in the hole though he was well aware of something burning into the back of his shirt. The blow had been hard enough that Gabriel was pretty certain he'd broken his nose. The residual pain was enough to confirm just that.

"What the fuck, Cas!" He yelled, just because he could and he knew it would set his brother off. If he did this, maybe he wouldn't have to think of the angel he needed to talk to.

"You ass!" His brother shouted then a heavy weight was on him and in the confusion of his brother trying to get his hands around his neck -was Cas really going to strangle him for lying?- the two of them tumbled into the crater with a shout from both sides and both of them suddenly much more focused on ducking and covering than trying to get leverage over the other.

"Damnit, Cas!" He yelled when they hit the ground, Cas rolling off him. This was his brother's fault, not his. Not at all. His brother shot him a lethal look that was a challenge in itself, just asking him to blame him. Unfortunately, this fight was going to go nowhere and no matter how much he wanted to, it wasn't worth dragging it out. Instead Gabriel pushed himself to his feet and looked up out of the crater, trying to figure out how to get out without asking for angelic assistance. The chain was abandoned at the top but nowhere near close enough for him to get his hands on it.

"I was dead. I had to have been dead. It was blissful, peaceful. Why did you have to drag me back? If I'm alive… I'm just a danger to the world. I'm Lucifer's Vessel, Gabe."

Gabriel turned around, shooting a hostile look at his brother. "Don't say shit like that. If you were dead, Balthazar couldn't have brought you back. You were alive and you were in agony. If there'd been no hope I'd have killed you myself to put you out of that." Part of that was a lie though he wasn't sure who he was lying to. Himself, or his brother.

Cas shot a startled look in his direction before looking away. "I don't remember much. What happened?"

"What do you remember?" He asked and Cas winced slightly.

"An explosion and… pain. A whole lot of pain. Then… a voice telling me to say yes. A voice telling me that if I didn't say yes you'd give yourself to Hell again to get me back." An accusatory look was shot in his direction which Gabriel ignored.

"The little girl is dead. I'm still not certain what happened. Apparently this," He motioned around him, "was Dean."

Cas frowned and looked out of it before looking back at Gabriel. "There's no logic to this crater. If he hit the house it should've buried him at an angle. Not like this."

Gabriel snorted, "That's what bothers you about this? The crater? Not the fact that a freaking UFO hit the house?"

"He Fell, Gabriel." Cas told him bluntly and Gabriel blinked in confusion. "Fell. From Heaven. Think about it, Gabe. That's why Balthazar said that Debriel is dead. Because Debriel Fell."

Balthazar appeared between them, looking even more drained. He didn't bother saying a word, laying a hand on each other their shoulders and flying them into the house. It threw Gabriel off a bit, causing him to stumble slightly. They were in the living area, Dean spread out limply on the couch, his eyes on where Sam had been before. The wood that had been protruding from it had been moved but other than that the room was still as big of a mess as it had been when Gabriel had left it before, the TV had fallen over and broken, most all of the windows shattered, books knocked off the tables and onto the floor. Sam was at one of the windows, standing there like a statue and staring outside.

"Sammy, talk to us." Dean said weakly from the couch. Gabriel turned his attention to the archangel, ex-archangel?, who shifted slightly, grimacing in pain.

"Dean?" Cas pushed past him and knelt in front of the being he made an annoyed sound.

"I thought you wanted to kill me."

"You Fell." Cas said bluntly, ignoring the response.

"I ripped my Grace out and freed Samael from Raphael. I didn't Fall. I can't Fall. It's a bullshit curse from Father." Dean coughed following that, moaning in pain afterwards. Tentatively, Gabriel put a hand on Sam's arm. The angel didn't respond.

"Sam?" He questioned quietly, trying to draw the angel's attention.

"Good news. I'm just a god now. Bad news. Saving Samael killed me. Don't worry about me. Worry about Sam." Dean's words came from behind him and Gabriel shot a look over his shoulder at the god as Cas' shoulders tensed visibly.

"No." Cas said stubbornly. "You said you're a god? I'm calling Loki." Cas pushed himself to his feet and made to leave the room.

"Cas, don't." Dean tried to grab Gabriel's brother but was shaken off.

"You aren't dying. Remember? You've got to help us stop the Apocalypse so you can slight your Dad." Cas told the god as he left the room. It didn't pass his notice that Balthazar followed Cas out though he didn't remark on it. Gabriel returned his focus to Sam who had turned his focus from the window. The angel was watching him with a slightly broken look in his expression.

"What did Naomi do to you?" He asked his angel who flinched at the mention of her name.

"If I'm right, Naomi would've been torturing him because of you." Dean spoke up, sounding slightly drained now, as though speaking was exhausting him. "Which means, he would've wiped you from his memory."

"How do you know that?" Gabriel asked, searching the vacant expression of Sam, his stomach churning.

"I taught him to do it." Dean stated bluntly and Gabriel jerked his focus back over to the ex-archangel who was smiling grimly. "I did my job. I taught every angel in Heaven to do what it was made for. What God made them for."

"Your dad is a narcissistic dick." Gabriel snapped looking back at Sam who'd returned his attention to staring out the window.

"He is God." Dean groaned in pain after that, Gabriel didn't bother looking over to check on him. He didn't care. Fuck Dean. "Samuel."

His angel tilted his head, ever so slightly, and turned around.

"How much did she wipe from you?"

Sam paused, assessing the god. Gabriel glanced back over at Dean and was a bit surprised to see that he looked like he was… aging? He definitely looked older.

Dean spoke again, only this time it was in another language that Gabriel didn't recognize. Sam responded after a moment in the same language.

"I'm going to kill that bitch." Dean growled out, trying to push himself up. Instead of succeeding he slumped down and muttered something else.

"What did she do to him?" Gabriel asked, not liking the anger in the god's tone.

"More harm than was necessary." Dean responded bitterly, shutting his eyes. "Fucking bitch."

"You shouldn't talk like that about yourself, Art." Gabriel's gaze moved to the threshold where Loki was wearing an inverted version of him again, a smug smile on his face.

"Loki." Dean said with distain from his spot on the couch as the god came around, snapping his fingers and repairing everything in the room. Sam stepped forward, drawing his blade and Gabriel grabbed his angel's arm before he could cross the room, pulling him back. To his surprise, Sam stopped.

"Disgusting angel." The god shot a look in their direction and seconds later Gabriel was flung into the wall, being held up by his throat. Sam reacted this time. Disappearing and reappearing in front of the angel, shoving the god back into a wall with a blade to his throat. Loki laughed a deranged laugh, morphing into an inverted version of Sam and leaning into the blade. "Do it, angel. Kill me."

Sam's words weren't in English but the threatening tone was clear. Seconds later, Gabriel was dropped to the floor by Loki, left gasping for breath.

"Angels and their Souls. Always so sensitive." Loki chuckled darkly as Sam dropped him, disappearing and reappearing by Gabriel's side. Sam gave him a confused look as he rested a hand on his head. A cool feeling rushed through him and all of the injuries he'd received healed in a single moment. Gabriel sighed in relief, closing his eyes at the feeling and the contact of his angel. Has he mentioned how fucked he was? When his eyes opened, Loki was settled at Dean's feet on the arm of the couch, looking down at the fallen archangel with distaste.

"What did Cas offer you, Loki?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"I'm not making a deal with the Hunter since he refused to tie himself to another god. I'm willing to help you. When a sacrifice is made. I like Cas. I'd save his life for free if it was him on the line. Admittedly, Art. I hate your guts. You fed Hunters information that led to the death of my wife. I'll help you, when someone in sacrificed in turn. What's the phrase? An eye for an eye?" With that Loki morphed into a woman with long wavy brown hair, a twisted smile on his face as two large wings the same shade as Dean's eyes sprouted from his back, stretching out slightly and hitting the wall and TV. They were reminiscent of an eagle in design and shape, glittering with forest green. "How close am I?" Loki asked sweetly. "Artemis, goddess of the hunt, Archangel in disguise."

"Nowhere near as gorgeous as mine." Dean responded bitterly, trying, and failing, to move away from the god. His vessel was still aging, it was clear as day. "We aren't sacrificing anyone. Leave, Loki."

"No can do, Arty." Loki appeared in front of Gabriel causing him to stumble back at the sight of his inverted brother. "Someone's getting sacrificed. I'm done playing with you. Do you remember what I told you last time you saw me, Gabey?" Sam moved slightly so he was barring the god from him, Loki just smirked. "I told you I would _not_ help you. I told you I'd lock you in an eternal rerun of all my favorite snuff films. I told you I wouldn't be merciful. Your angel may protect you from dying over and over again but I'm going to do something else. You're going to choose the life that I take. I'm going to give you three names to choose from and you're going to pick the life you take. If you don't make a choice, I will kill all three. Arty's going to live one way or another. If I die here, Ragnarök will begin."

Gabriel backed away from the god who didn't make a move to get closer to him. Sam remained where he was, acting as a physical block for the god though it was clear he was still conflicted about _why_ he was doing it. Gabriel would have to choose the sacrifice. Gabriel was going to be forced to choose who died. And why the fuck was that fair when it had been Cas' stupid decision to summon the damned god?

"I didn't _ask_ you for help. Kill the damned archangel for all I care. It wasn't me who asked for your fucking help."

A fire seemed to burn in the depths of the god's eyes, the twisted smile turning as he ignored the protests. "Three names. Arbor, the little nymph you fucked, Castiel, your baby brother who you went to hell for, or Robert Singer, the man who took you in when everyone else abandoned you. Make. Your. Choice."

There was no question of who he'd choose. Loki had made that list specifically to target him. The nymph he'd saved was on there because of that fact. It was Loki being a vindictive asshole.

"Loki, you son of a bitch." Dean's words fell a bit flat, no real hostility in them.

"Five. Four. Three." Loki started counting and Gabriel had no choice.

"Fuck you." He spat before reluctantly giving the name, "Arbor." Loki grinned triumphantly.

"Of course. Now that that's been handled, I'll give you another energy boost, Arty." Loki disappeared from in front of Gabriel and reappeared next to Dean. "Don't spend it all in one place." Loki warned before a massive wave of heat and energy exploded from the center of the room, Gabriel shielding his eyes as the blinding green light threatened to take his vision. When it vanished Dean was sitting upright, with wide eyes, Loki gone.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." Dean said without any real anger, pushing to his feet and making his way towards them. Gabriel pushed himself to his feet, watching as Dean wrapped his arms around his younger brother, muttering something in that language. "I'm going to kill Naomi." Dean promised as they separated. "Gabriel, I need to talk to you." The brothers shared a look before laying a hand on Gabriel and transporting them away.


	19. 18: Always Make Pristine Offerings

Samuel watched the man with the glowing Soul leave with the god who was Debriel. Something about that Soul had kept him entranced and angered him when the god had attempted to harm it. Something was _wrong_ and he _knew_ it. The problem was he could not place it. Despite the fact that he _knew_ something was wrong, try as he might, he could not grasp that piece of information. Angels had perfect memories, yet everything since his trip to Hell was broken and distorted. His language centers were fried and his connection to Heaven was distorted.

Naomi had done it. That he did remember. He remembered being taken to Heaven, though he was unsure why, and Naomi strapping him down to a table…

"What did you idjits do to my house!" A voice was yelling, the words falling on his ears and making no sense. That voice he recognized. It was… Robert, or Bobby Singer.

"It was Dean!" Castiel's voice was defensive. Castiel. He remembered that name as well though any memories associated with it were gone. Something to do with Lucifer… What had Naomi done to him?

Samuel looked out the window, tuning into Angel Radio to the best of his ability. _'The angel who brings me our Fallen brother Debriel will be rewarded. He has committed crimes against Heaven and released a prisoner from the cells. A dangerous prisoner that must be contained again. Brothers and sisters, hear me out. I know many of you once idolized Debriel. He is no longer the brother you knew. Debriel is dangerous now.'_ Raphael had been telling them this ever since he had woken but the words had rang false, which was almost ironic considering Lucifer was promising them their Souls. How honest Lucifer's promises felt. Promising eternity with their Soul. It was so tempting. The idea of eternity with his Soul.

Except he did not have a Soul. He had made sure of that. Why did it seem so tempting?

There had to be something obvious that he was missing. Something stupidly clear that he could not place.

Naomi had done _something_ to him. Something he could not place. Something that left him aching and in pain. A gaping hole in his Grace that felt _wrong_. His wings shook behind him and stretched out as he cloaked himself before flying to where he _knew_ Gabriel was.

.-~*~-.

Dean and Gabriel landed in the center of a field, the ex-archangel stumbling slightly with the landing and Gabriel collapsing to his knees, puking up what little he had in his stomach.

"Damnit." Dean muttered as Gabriel wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket, shooting an angry glare at Dean as he took in the surroundings. "No wings. Pagan transit is a bit different." There was a barn off in the distance that reminded Gabriel of the place they'd summoned Sam into what felt like decades ago.

"I thought you were using god powers before." Gabriel accused as he forced himself to his feet, fighting back the lingering nausea.

Dean shook his head, "I was hiding my grace and all of Heaven's powers but they still kept me rooted. I've been using pagan magic to conjure things for decades but to travel. It's not close to the same. Missed the destination by a bit."

"Were you aiming for that?" Gabriel asked, nodding towards the barn. Dean shook his head.

"Three states west from here. Probably lucky we didn't land in the ocean." Dean made an irritated sound, "Being a god without my Grace… massive difference. Why do you think my Vessel was dying? He's the True Vessel for an Archangel but wasn't made to host a god. If I hadn't used that magic to root myself to it, I would've Fallen and been reborn as a human baby when I ripped my Grace out."

"Why did you do that?" Gabriel asked and Dean looked away.

"I'm not an Archangel. I haven't been for a long time. I'm proving a point by doing this."

"By killing yourself." Gabriel stated disdainfully.

"I was saving Samael. Apparently you aren't as far off from Michael as we thought. Though you're still pretty far. Unless you've been fucking your brother."

Gabriel stared at Dean, shock coiling through him. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Dean smiled humorlessly at him, "Michael promised eternity to Raphael then ditched Heaven. Ran away from being responsible over his little brother. Sound familiar?"

"I… what?"

"I have to say. I didn't think it would be this easy to shut you up. Right now, Raphael's running the shit storm that is Heaven. He had bound Samael's powers and trapped him before I nearly killed myself saving him. Which wasn't the brightest move on my part because now we have a rogue Archangel with no knowledge of who he is running loose."

"You've lost me." Gabriel told him after a moment, Dean rolled his eyes.

"Moving on. We need to talk about Sammy because there's a serious problem there."

"That's on you." Gabriel snapped back, now that Sam had been brought to attention, he needed an explanation. Sam had taken off in the middle of an argument and then he'd apparently been taken by Naomi? There was something important missing from his half of the story.

"Yes, I trained all of Heaven. All of it except the Archangels. I'm not going to let you give me shit for that because I did what I was supposed to. What God ordered."

"Teaching angels to brainwash other angels is part of that?" Gabriel retorted, trying to get under the ex-archangel's skin. To his surprise, Dean didn't take the bait.

"Teaching Naomi to do that was part of a failed experiment after Dad left. Something I ordered her to never do again. Raphael had a theory that if an angel forgot their Souls, they'd return to their full strength. Instead it caused more harm than good. These angels were already broken by the loss of their Soul, the memory loss just kind of… made them fade away into nothing."

"So Sam's dying?" Gabriel asked, trying to keep his voice from cracking because no. That would _not_ happen. Not then. Fuck Heaven and fuck Naomi.

Dean shook his head, "No. I think the presence of you and your Soul will keep him grounded."

"So I'm starting back over at square one with him?" Gabriel didn't want to go through that again. It had been Hell the first time through and there was so much else going on.

"You're starting out on an even level." Dean told him simply.

"What the fuck is even about this?" Gabriel responded angrily.

"You know you love him and everyone with half a brain knows he loves you. What stopped you from jumping my baby brother the first time through?" Dean asked him, smiling knowingly. Gabriel opened his mouth to retort something, anything, but came up empty handed. "I know it's crap but it doesn't matter because it's something. Take what Dad gave you before it's ripped away because when it is, it's going to destroy the both of you."

"Thanks for the heartfelt speech, Dean-o." Gabriel responded, trying to change the mood because this was getting too uncomfortably emotional and he couldn't handle a heart to heart with this particular god.

"Done with the chick-flick crap? Awesome. Now do you know how Sam was saved from Naomi?"

"Balthazar." Gabriel answered immediately and Dean nodded. In the back of his mind he was trying to figure out how the hell he would handle the situation with Sam. All of that lack of progress and now they were back to square one. Talk about a shitty life.

"So that's why they cut him off." Dean acknowledged before continuing, "It also makes his broken language center make a hundred times more sense. It shouldn't take much to fix that." Dean paused, looking past him for a brief second, "I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Dean snapped his fingers and Gabriel's surroundings changed, this time a bit more steadily as to not make him puke but not steadily enough that he didn't fall flat on his ass.

"Damn it, Dean." He complained to no one as he found himself on the road leading to Singer Salvage. Well at least he was in the right area.

After a moment of consideration, he found himself making his way down the road towards Bobby's, as he got closer he noticed something, something that made no sense. The house was fully intact again, the crater still visible in the yard. How the hell was the house in tact? The closer he got to the house the clearer it got. Standing in the yard Cas was gesturing wildly to Bobby who Gabriel could tell just by looking at was probably about to blow up on someone. Could he skip seeing the older hunter? Maybe. He paused and sat down off the side of the road, waiting patiently for Cas and Bobby to head inside.

Gabriel jerked slightly when Sam appeared in front of him, looking him over like he was a book written in a language he couldn't read. "You are my Soul."

"I-"

"I was listening to the conversation between you and Debriel." Sam explained, shifting slightly and looking away.

"I thought you couldn't speak English." Gabriel said instead of anything that he wanted to say. Most of it being curses to Heaven and Hell for this bullshit situation.

"Debriel… um Dean, fixed it."

"He couldn't get your memories back?"

Sam shook his head, his shoulders shifting in a familiar way. _Discomfort_. "Naomi's ministrations are not always permanent. With enough pushing from my side I might be able to recollect what I have forgotten."

Gabriel nodded though admittedly he didn't like the use of the word 'ministrations'. It sounded too… kind. She'd tortured him.

"I should have known what you were. I still… I can see it now and I can feel it but it is… it feels foreign." Sam tried to explain and it took a second for Gabriel to understand that he was talking about the drug of his soul. Maybe this wasn't all terrible.

"Stop pushing for it." He almost pleaded and the angel frowned at him. "Just… don't try to see my soul." That was something. This whole situation was too instable for anything else.

"Okay." Sam told him after a moment. "I will try not to look at your Soul."

Gabriel grimaced because apparently the use of words like "won't" was back to square one.

"Are they still outside?" Gabriel asked, motioning to the yard. Sam frowned at him before looking over and observing it for a moment.

"They are gone." Sam answered. Nodding, Gabriel rose to his feet. "Lucifer has promised us that if we join him we will have eternity with our Soul." Sam said after a moment.

Gabriel shot a look over at Sam who was looking off distantly. "Lucifer lies, Sam."

Sam frowned over at him as they began walking towards the house. "It does not feel like a lie. Raphael calling Debriel a traitor to Heaven feels like a lie."

Gabriel was reminded of what Lilith had told Dean, the way she'd talked about Lucifer. Sure, the words had been twisted and cruel but she'd there had been something else in them. Something he hadn't even thought to acknowledge then. They'd said it more than once. Every angel he'd met had said the same thing and every being that knew about angels and their Souls had implied the same thing. That bond between them was strong.

Maybe there was more to Lucifer than they understood. Did that make anything better? Not really. Lilith was still slaughtering people to free him and she'd said herself that she had an immense amount of control over the devil. It wasn't worth the risk to try to sympathize with the devil. No matter what.

"Just because he might not be lying, it doesn't mean he's telling the whole truth." Gabriel said after a moment. "Think about this for a moment, Sambo. Lucifer is the devil, the one that corrupted humanity. Maybe there's more to it but can we afford to be wrong? Him and Mikey are supposed to destroy the world."

"But Michael's gone." Sam pointed out. How much of the conversation between him and Dean had his angel listened to? Actually, how did Sam know what they'd talked about when clearly he hadn't understood them? Unless he auto processed that conversation when Dean fixed him…. That wasn't really important at the moment.

"Is it worth the risk?" Gabriel asked, his angel frowned at him but didn't say anything. Obviously Lucifer was getting to him which was far from a good thing. Even if Lucifer was telling the truth, he was the devil. They were facing The Apocalypse. Right now, they couldn't afford for Sam to decide to join Lucifer's side. Especially since him joining Lucifer's side meant joining the side that was supposed to destroy the world. If Gabriel was honest, he would probably be stupid enough to follow Sam into that too. Which was idiotic considering Sam currently had no memory of who he was.

They were just hitting the edge of the yard when the sound of a familiar car's engine sounded from behind them. Was that?... Gabriel turned around and shook his head at the sight of Dean's Impala driving down the road. Gabriel had seen the vehicle more than once, though he'd always questioned why a god would hold onto a vehicle when he could transport himself anywhere. If Gabriel was honest, the way he'd seen the god treat the car had always made him a bit uncomfortable. That being said, if Dean took over as vehicle transport Bobby would probably worship the god since Gabriel kept losing the old hunter's cars.

Dean stopped next to them and Gabriel took the liberty of throwing the passenger door open, plopping in next to him with a grin in the god's direction. Dean returned the look with an irritated expression. "You can walk the next twenty feet."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Gabriel glanced back to see Sam in the backseat already. Next to the angel there was a pile of random objects ranging from flowers to clothes of yellows and forest green that was oddly similar to Dean's eyes, a bucket of animal crackers were sitting on top of the pile. Next to it was a tray piled with a couple rabbit carcasses and another type of raw meat that Gabriel recognized vaguely from something he'd seen in a movie. "What the hell is that?" Gabriel questioned, shooting a startled look at Dean.

"Some dumbass high school kids making an offering to me. Not a fan of raw food but they did try, in their selfish bratty way."

"An offering-"

"Once upon a time I was Artemis. While they aren't exactly common, I do have worshippers. That's about the only thing that's going to keep me from burning out all my power."

"I do not understand why you do not just go find your Grace, Debriel." Sam spoke up from the back and when Gabriel glanced back it was to see the angel holding a strange clay object that looked like it had been modeled in an elementary school classroom. Maybe it resembled a person? Whoever he'd gotten this stuff from had to have had no idea what they were doing.

"Debriel is dead, little brother. Dead and not coming back." Dean answered as he began driving forward again.

"Why would you join the pagans?" Sam questioned as he picked up another object from beneath the clothes. A wine bottle that still had the paper around the neck from wherever they'd bought it.

"It doesn't matter, Sammy. What's done is done. Now stop going through that crap."

"Why were they making an offering to you?" Gabriel questioned as Sam set the bottle down and Dean stopped the car.

"Doesn't matter. They were selfish little dicks that were lucky that I needed the power boost. If they hadn't I probably would've killed them for putting together such a shitty offering."

"Wait, isn't Artemis a goddess of virtue or something?" Gabriel questioned as Dean pushed out of the car.

"We were." He answered, Gabriel's door opened and he looked over to see Sam standing there. "It wasn't just me, Artemis _was_ a goddess and we were together for a long time. Then she left and I kept up the charade. After I possessed Dean, I changed my behavior and identity. I became Dean and Artemis died for good. When I was Artemis, I tried to forget my history. When I was Dean, I gave up on forgetting it completely and focused on blocking it out and pissing Dad off." Dean explained as he grabbed the tray out of the back and set it on the trunk. "Think Bobby will kill me for bringing venison and poorly murdered rabbits into the house?"

"Murdered?" Gabriel asked, suddenly slightly concerned.

"Difference between hunted and murdered. They probably didn't think I'd know the difference. These poor rabbits were probably bought at their local pet store then had their throats cut. As for the venison, well, they bought it at a butcher's shop. Offerings to us were supposed to be fresh game. There was a time I would've killed them just for incompetence, thought Art would've argued about it, and another time where I wouldn't have bothered showing up. Desperate times call for desperate measures." Dean pulled the animal cracker container out of the back and tossed it over the roof. Gabriel barely caught it before it hit him in the head. "Don't act disappointed." Dean told him as he leaned back into the car. Gabriel stared at the box of cookies, because animal crackers _were_ cookies, they were too sweet to be crackers, surprised. He wouldn't thank Dean but he would gladly take the cookies without a complaint. "Stupid kids." Dean complained as he set a value brand jar of honey on the roof. "Maybe I should've killed them for their stupidity."

"I do not understand the purpose of these objects." Sam said quietly from behind him earning a grin from Gabriel.

"Egocentric gods like Dean-o have this thing for being given free stuff." Gabriel could almost feel the dirty look Dean shot him from inside the car as he moved away from it. "Whoever it was that made this offering was cheap and lazy. Of course it's free stuff so he really shouldn't be complaining."

"Fuck off, Gabriel!" Dean yelled from the car as Gabriel opened the front door.

"I'm good for now, Dean-o!" He replied without missing a beat as him and Sam stepped inside. Sam wasn't talking, just following him in silence. It was oddly comfortable though also a bit strange. It reminded him too much of their start.

"Gabe?" Cas asked, looking up from the fridge as him and Sam stepped into the kitchen. Bobby was sitting at the table, grumbling something under his breath. "Animal crackers?" Cas stared at the container in slight confusion.

"Part of a not so high end offering to the goddess Artemis." Gabriel explained as he settled into the seat across from Bobby, leaning back at popping the lid off. Despite his attempts, he could see Bobby watching him with irritation.

"Dean's here?" Cas asked as he set a plate on the table with a half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich on it.

"Here and accounted for." Dean said as he stepped in with a backpack slung over his shoulders, the tray of meat balanced precariously in his hand. "You used to hunt hunt before you got drug into this life, right? Think you could cook this?" He asked, addressing a surprised looking Bobby.

"Where the hell did you get that?" He asked suspiciously as he rose from his seat, Dean setting the tray on the table and snagging Cas' sandwich.

"Offering. Think you can?" Cas shot him a dirty look as he took a bite.

"If you fix the crater in my yard." Bobby motioned outside."

"Can't. I don't have the power to spare for something like that."

"You could fix the house but not the yard?" Cas asked suspiciously as Bobby joined them at the counter.

"I didn't fix the house. Loki did it." Dean explained as he passed Bobby, settling into the table across from Gabriel and tossing the backpack onto the floor in front of him. Gabriel offered the animal crackers in what he played was an absent motion, Dean grabbed a handful before unzipping the backpack and grabbing the jar of honey.

"I thought he was pissed at us." Gabriel acknowledged, watching Dean out of the corner of his eye as he set the jar on the table and dipped the cookie in it.

"He was fucking with you, Gabriel. Taking Arbor as a sacrifice? After all the shit he went through to get his hands on her? No. He was tormenting you. Arbor's alive. She has to stay alive to protect those Seals." Dean made a face when he bit into the cookie, glaring at it for a moment before throwing the rest in his mouth.

Admittedly, Gabriel was surprised, and grateful, but that didn't stop him from being pissed. "Are you _kidding_ me?"

"Loki's got this strange soft spot for your brother and this passionate hatred for you. He wouldn't have laid a hand on Bobby because he likes your brother and he fixed the house for the same reason. I figured I'd be better off if I let him play off his little show once I realized what he was doing. As much as I might like the two of you, I like living more." Dean explained as he grabbed something else from the backpack, a neon yellow dress. Pulling it out completely Dean eyed it before holding it out to Gabriel and grinning. "I think it's more your style."

Gabriel almost, almost, responded with annoyance. Until he decided against it. He was going to screw with the ex-archangel instead.

"Do you really think so, _Arty_?" He emphasized the nickname earning an annoyed glare from the god as he snatched the dress. "If you think so, I have to try it on. C'mon, Sammity Sam. You can help me get this on. Then maybe off again." He waggled his eyebrows at a very unamused Dean as he rose to his feet, throwing the dress over his shoulder and pointedly taking the animal crackers before making his way out of the room, a quick glance over his shoulder confirming that Sam was following, looking a little more than confused.

That was one thing accomplished. Now he had to handle the Sam situation which was far from an easy prospect. Sam had mentioned it was possible for him to push enough at Naomi's brainwashing that it returned the memories. There had to be something he could do to help with that. He grabbed another cookie from the container as they made their way up to the spare bedroom, trying not to think of what had happened to the little girl when Dean had crash landed through the roof.

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter.**


	20. 19: Stopping It At Any Cost

**Warning: There's a gruesome part towards the end of this chapter, yet again having to do with Dalara.**

Gabriel and Sam were standing in a dreamscape, in the candy shop that had begun feeling like home to him. It was wrong, but he was beginning to long for these escapes from reality. Sam had started teaching him how to manipulate the dreams and lucid dreaming was fun when you knew how to shift the world around you. For him, it was like his own little chunk of reality and, despite his growing hatred for the god, he could understand why Loki made pocket universes so much.

Over the last month, Sam and him had revisited all of Gabriel's own memories of their encounters, during the night it was spent like that. Gabriel and him in his dreams. After they'd finished revisiting his memories, Sam had begun teaching him. It was difficult but the results were worth it. As it stood, they were running out of options on how to stop Lucifer from rising. Gabriel had tried bringing up that if they killed Lilith, the Seals would stop breaking. That idea had been shot down more than once by both angels. Sam had at least bothered to rationalize it with the idea that there were still angels working to start it.

Then there was Cas. About two days after Dean had gotten enough power from his followers to fix the crater in the yard, which had been caused by Balthazar deflecting the landing of the falling archangel with his wings, Cas had driven to Michigan. Balthazar hadn't shown his face though Sam had told him that he'd been around, just cloaked. Dean had explained to them that he'd helped Cas talk that chick, Meg, into understanding that Cas was not part of some child murdering cult or whatever the hell it was that the news had spread about them. -Which Gabriel was still surprised he'd managed not to get arrested for as he'd stupidly forgotten the entire mess Balthazar caused.- Cas had spent the last two weeks there with her while researching Seals for them. At some point, Gabriel would meet her. But Cas had sounded content so he was letting his brother do his thing, which according to Cas had nothing to do with 'using his thing' as his brother kept putting it. Honestly though? What was the point of being with someone if you weren't even taking advantage of the fun parts of being with them?

"Gabriel?" He blinked out of his thoughts and realized the dream had been shimmering to a fantasy dream that he definitely had _not_ had soon after meeting Sam. Quickly he focused on the memory of the candy shop before the figures in that dream could become clear. Grabbing a handful of gummy worms from the container and offering them to the angel, he threw on a casual grin as he looked over at Sam.

Seeing his angel was different now too. Gabriel had used his recollection of the wings that Loki had summoned up to taunt Dean as a basis for the design then demanded Sam give him a pallet to work with. Whenever in the dreamland, Gabriel got to see angel wings now. Sure, they probably weren't anywhere near as glorious as the actual things but seeing a physical manifestation of them was worth it. Unlike what he'd originally thought, Sam had explained they were more angular, sharper edged than a bird. Gabriel had, partially jokingly, placed plane wings on Sam's back which had earned him an annoyed scowl, before he'd perfected the more angular shape of an angel's wings. Next, had come the silvery blue coloring which had been really difficult for him to work with. He wasn't an artist, he was more of a coloring book kind of guy. Finally had come perfecting the feathers. Sam had explained that while the ones that were closer to his physical form were softer, the ones nearing the edge of his wings were sharper. According to him Debriel had once trained angels to use these sharp feathers in battle but it had been an ended practice before Sam was created. When Gabriel had confronted Dean about it he'd told him it had something to do with inconvenience in battle but had refused to elaborate. And so Sam had wings when they were in dream land, wings that went about six inches higher than his vessel, wings that Gabriel had resisted the urge to touch because it felt almost sinful to do. Seeing an angel's wings was one thing, touching them felt like a line to cross.

He shook himself out of his thoughts and waved the gummy worms in front of him, "Eat up, Sammy." Sam rolled his eyes at the order, taking the offered candies anyway.

"I don't understand why you push me to eat something that is not real."

"Because they're amazing." Gabriel answered simply as the angel bit into the candy and, to Gabriel's usual satisfaction, clearly enjoyed it. The wings behind Sam's back always were a giveaway. Gabriel had near perfected reading the subtle movements before he was given a full image to read. The feathers shook as the wings fluttered in clear appreciation of the sweet. Either Sam hadn't picked up on Gabriel reading him through his wings or he just didn't care that it was being done. It was fascinating to watch though.

"Where do you want to travel tonight, Gabriel?" Sam asked him as he ate another gummy worm. Right. He didn't want to eat them.

"You choose." Gabriel told him as he grabbed a chocolate bar off the table, biting into it and watching Sam out of the corner of his eye. Wings flared slightly behind him in what was obviously annoyance.

"I am going to destroy my brother." Then Sam vanished, leaving Gabriel alone in his head which was one hell of a scary place to be. Without the angel there to ground his thoughts, Gabriel's mind began to wander. Even when he was lucid dreaming, controlling the dreams was a hundred times easier with Sam present. Without him, it was significantly more difficult to do.

And damn it if that didn't bother him. He was trying, and failing, to suppress the shit he'd been burying under piles and piles of casual conversation and a hundred thousand other problems. In that moment, he was reminded of why he'd stopped sleeping well. Of why, until Sam had shown up in his dreams that night, he'd been about ready to throw himself into an unhealthy drinking problem.

.-~*~-.

"Dean, this is a waste of time." Samuel complained, longing to return to the dreamscape rather than deal with his brother's helplessness. His brother had called him to some diner in Michigan where Samuel was well aware Castiel was, though where exactly, he could not place. There was something blocking him from tracking Castiel, something he knew should have kept him from tracking Gabriel though it didn't.

"It won't take long. I just had an idea." Dean explained as he waited impatiently on the other side of the table for the waitress to bring him food.

"You actually know how to have those?" Samuel quipped earning a startled and slightly annoyed look from his brother.

"You've been spending too much time around the urchin." Dean complained resentfully as the waitress finally arrived with two meals, a burger the waitress would no doubt think was for the each of them with two pie slices and a side dish of honey. Samuel made a face at the food but didn't comment on it. Dean didn't bother waiting for her to leave, grabbing the burger from in front of him and taking a bite out of it, making sounds that had no right to come from an ex-archangel. "Tell the fef is great." Dean said to the startled waitress around a mouthful of food.

Who would have thought that he, the angel that had never touched Earth until The Apocalypse began, would have had the manners to give the waitress an apologetic smile as she left.

"What is with you and eating?" He complained as Dean swallowed his mouthful.

"Energy." His brother explained for probably the thousandth time as he set the burger down and cut into the pie slice after dousing the fork in honey. "I don't have a lot of worship to keep me up and goin' these days, it's why most the gods are fading. Of course, I'm not stupid or desperate enough to take sacrifices. All of this," He motioned to the food before them, "Is things that, more or less, count as offerings. They give me food and in return I give them what they're asking for, ie money. It's shit energy but its helping sustain me. Until I get my transporting back to full force, I can't just pop in wherever I'm being worshipped or whatever. I'm improvising."

"Right." Samuel said, not at all understanding a word that was coming out of his brother's mouth, which was now stuffed full of pie.

"Okay." His brother swallowed the pie, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I've been thinking about this. None of us know much about the Seals. Dad kept the big plan quiet. We've always known what Michael told us. Six hundred and sixty-six total seals, sixty-six have to be broken to pop Lucifer from the box. I tried to keep thing one and thing two from snapping the first one. Unfortunately, your Soul's a dumbass." Samuel shot his brother a hostile look which Dean ignored. "The last Seal has to be different as well. The first was different. It couldn't have been any of the shitty random ones. It _had_ to be The Righteous Man and The Righteous Man _had_ to be Michael's Vessel. That much is painfully obvious now. It stands to reason that if Michael's Vessel started it…"

"Castiel will finish it." Samuel said after a moment, meeting his brother's gaze that was hauntingly similar to what had once been his wings.

"All we have to do is make sure Cas doesn't do something stupid, and we'll be fine."

That sounded almost too simple. The idea that as long as they kept a close eye on Castiel, things would be fine. It was something though. Something that made sense. After a month of coming up with nothing, it was something.

"Don't mention this to Cas yet. I've been around the two of them for years and if Cas thinks that sacrificing himself will save the world, he'll do it in a heartbeat. Gabriel might be selfish and have shitty priorities but Cas is a whole hell of a lot simpler."

"I will not tell them about this."

Dean nodded as he lifted the burger again, pausing and looking up at him, "You do understand that Gabriel is hopelessly, doe eyed, in love with you, right?" The words came out with a certain sincerity that he had not expected from Dean.

"I am aware. I just do not know for certain if the feelings are mutual." Samuel admitted before he flew back to Bobby's, arriving in Gabriel's dreams to feel a terrible jerk of guilt at the sight before him, quickly shoving away the memories of The Racks for his Soul as he lifted the shaking man into his arms, wrapping his dream wings around them protectively.

"Gabriel, never again. I swear. It is over. Hell is gone."

"I know." Gabriel choked out, burying his face in Samuel's chest and shuddering. "It didn't matter. Damn it, Sam. Don't take off like that. Not without warning."

"Never again." He swore, tightening his hold on the hunter and curling his right wing under the man's body earning a startled sound as he lifted him up, cradling him like an overgrown child and grinning down at the scowling Hunter.

"I'm not a kid." He complained petulantly though he made no move to move from the hold, if anything, he seemed slightly startled at the casual use. Oh, Samuel had seen the Hunter's constant staring at his wings since they'd started these dream trips and he'd noted that when Gabriel had fed him his memories he'd always watched the distortion in the air, trying to learn to read him from it. He'd actually become quite good at it as well. It had never occurred to him that Gabriel had made an effort _not_ to touch them. Now though. Now that he had Gabriel cradled in the conjured limbs the Hunter looked halfway between throwing himself away from the limb and inspecting it.

"You created these, Gabriel. They are not too divine for you to touch." He explained earning an embarrassed look from the Hunter followed by a wave of thoughts that Samuel could not simply block, they were heavy thoughts. Thoughts of how corrupted and tainted he was. Years of sins that had no real impact on Samuel's views of his Soul.

"You must stop thinking like that." Stretching the empty wing out of reflex more than anything, he carefully turned the other one until Gabriel caught the purpose and stood up, watching as Samuel returned the wing behind his back, stretching them both out to display them and watching as Gabriel stared at them in fascination. "We are in your world right now. In your head. Even if you were right and it was inappropriate to touch an angel's wings, these are simply creations of your head, as you've shown more than once." Gabriel had messed around a lot while they were trying to recreate something that was impossible to recreate on the mortal plane, and more than once he'd had absurdly large and absurdly small wings. There'd also been a ridiculous assortment of neon colors when they'd been trying to get the coloring right.

"They're still-"

"Not a manifestation of my Grace. Besides, you're my Soul. If any human being has a right to touch them, it's you." After a moment, Gabriel nodded and walked around him, Samuel shut his eyes and felt the gentle touches as the hunter began brushing his fingers through feathers. It was slightly disorienting because, despite the fact that they were Gabriel's manifestation of his wings, those gentle touches reverberated through his Grace and it was as though he _was_ touching him. Something that he hadn't expected, it was soothing. There was once a Seraph by the name of Samandriel who had held the singular purpose of grooming their wings and realigning the feathers for them as it was near impossible for them to do it themselves. He was a high ranked nobody that most the angels had looked down on. How had Samuel forgotten Samandriel? Samandriel who had been killed in a terrible accident. Samandriel who had been one of his favorite angels. Samandriel who had never deserved his fate. Samandriel who had been killed while training.

Samuel jerked his wings away and crumbled to the ground, letting out a high-pitched shriek in his True Voice as _everything_ broke free.

 _Esther._

 _Joshiah._

 _Ezekiel._

 _Ambriel._

 _Adina._

 _Jibril._

Thousands of names, thousands of faces, they flashed through in a millisecond. Names of dead angels. Angels he'd forgotten. Angels that he _knew_ had died. Beneath all that grief, more recent memories. Memories he couldn't pay mind to, not yet.

With blade in hand, he flew, he flew and landed wherever it was that Dean was, where his brother was. The one that had trained Naomi. Thousands of angels lost and he hadn't _remembered_.

He held the blade to a started Dean's throat, pushing in enough to cut skin without killing him. For the first time that Samuel had ever seen, his elder brother was genuinely afraid. "Sam! What-"

"How many brothers and sisters did she _wipe_ from our minds? _Why_?" He demanded and Dean's expression twisted from fear to grief in a second.

"I should've warned you. Sam, please. Don't do this."

"You _taught_ her. You _trained_ her to do this. _Why_?"

Dean shifted away from him ever so slightly, trying to get away from the angel blade. "I did what I was _told,_ Sam. Raphael thought that if you forgot those you lost, you'd be more effective warriors."

"You erased them from us." There was a familiar stinging sensation in his eyes, he was crying. It didn't matter. What mattered was answers. Thousands of dead angels.

"It worked. On everyone except you. You became less effective, you became obsessed with the dead you could see. Sam, Naomi is Dad's most vindictive creation. If I hadn't been trying to keep a low profile when I bailed, I'd have killed her." It was there in Dean's eyes, beneath the layers of pagan magic, Dean would never apologize for it. Not directly. That threat was the closest he was ever going to get to an apology for it. It wasn't entirely Dean's fault either. It was all on Naomi in the end. Naomi and whoever had handed down the orders. A twisting sickening feeling wretched through him as he ripped the blade away.

"I'm going to kill Naomi." Samuel promised, the more recent memories making themselves known. _Gabriel._

He'd willingly gone to Naomi, acting as a barrier between Heaven and a single human.

Gabriel.

" _Sam!"_ Then he was flying.

.-~*~-.

 _Knock knock knock knock._ "Open the fuckin' door, Gabe!" A very, weak, accented voice shouted from outside startling him and grating on his ears in the same moment. Sam had nearly deafened him in a panic and there was no doubt it had been caused by him messing with his angel's wings. _I knew I shouldn't have touched them._ Tiredly, he opened the door, stunned to find Dalara standing there.

In that moment, his brain kicked into high alert. The first thing he noticed was she was completely buck naked, which was a strange habit she seemed to have. Every inch of her skin was pale, too pale. A blood soaked shirt was bound around her stomach and Gabriel was certain he didn't want to know why. It was becoming distinctly clear _why_. The arm she held to her chest had clearly snapped in half, her hair a solid black that made the paleness of her skin that much more distinct. Both of her eyes were bloodshot, one partially glazed over. The blood that covered her skin, knifemarks and gouges covering every inch of her pale skin. Blood pouring from several of the wounds. Gabriel had seen this before. Done this before. The black haired girl collapsed forward with a choked sob. There was no logic. None. There was no logic to her being coherent, to her being alive, except…

 _"If you wanna kill me, feel free. Jus' be prepared fo' when i' doesn't work."_

"Bobby!" He shouted as he heaved her up so that her head was on his shoulder. A bit of a whimper escaped her as he mistakenly moved her snapped arm. Trying not to think over that, he held her against him.

"Al'st'ir. Lil'th" She choked out next to his ear, the words gurgling a bit with what he had no doubt was blood. Of course it was Alistair. He'd already pieced that together which meant the shirt bound around her stomach… Dalara muttered incoherently into his ear, words that made no sense as his adoptive father arrived and stared at him as he struggled to carry her in.

"We need to put her in the panic room before she dies." Bobby gave him an irritated and slightly confused look. "If she dies, she's going to have black eyes." He explained, remembering exactly what she'd told him about when Will had killed her.

"Ga'e." She choked out, speaking directly into his ear, her words broken and nearly impossible to understand as he carried her towards the panic room. "Nes as eal." Her words were almost too quiet for him to hear, her body shuddering under him and getting heavier. Bobby didn't speak a word as he helped him carry her downstairs. Those words. They made no sense. What did they mean?

 _Sam!_ He prayed desperately as he carefully he laid her down on the cot on the floor, her breath shuddering as she stared brokenly at him, tears flooding down her face. The sound of fluttering wings filled the air and Gabriel jerked around to see a stunned Sam standing there.

"Heal her!" He demanded, hardly noticing Bobby standing just inside the frame with an unreadable look on his face.

"I cannot." Sam told him as he grabbed him, pulling him out of the room with inhuman strength as he fought against it. "Dalara is coated in Hell. If my Grace touches her it'll destroy her completely." He explained. Just outside the doorframe, Gabriel managed to turn around in time to see the girl's body shudder violently one last time before she sat up, her onyx black eyes meeting his from across the room just as the door slammed shut.

"Gabriel!" Her singsong voice called from the other side as a shudder ran down his spine at the lack of her accent.

"There has to be a way to fix her. She was trying to tell me something." Those incoherent words bit at him. He _knew_ they were important. If she'd been stupid enough to come to Bobby's, she'd been desperate. The fact that she hadn't been healing said numbers on the fact that something was seriously wrong. He'd seen her in bad shape before and he'd seen her heal from those injuries.

"Gabriel, that is a _demon_. I cannot simply _cure_ a demon." There was a way to bring her back from that. If there wasn't, she'd have stayed a demon when she'd died to Will. There was a way. There had to be.

"You're angel's right, sweetheart. I'm a demon. In all my naked glory. C'mon in and let's talk, sweetheart." Dalara's voice was dark and cruel, a deranged laugh escaping her.

"Gabe." Gabriel looked over to see Bobby staring at him with an irritated expression on his face. "A demon. She's a demon. How many times do we have-"

"She was a demon after Will tortured and killed her." Gabriel snapped at him, "We aren't killing her."

"I can tell you the dirty secret Nex shared with me." Dalara spoke from the other side of the door. "Before Lilith kidnapped her and gave me over to good old Ali. Open the door, Gabriella. Open up and I'll tell you everything."

If there was anything he needed, it was that piece of information. He _knew_ it was important. Dalara had risked Bobby killing her to get it to them.

"We'll open the door." He stated and Bobby made an irritated sound as he turned to grab the latch, Bobby grabbing his arm.

"Are you sure?" He asked, much to Gabriel's surprise.

"It has to do with the Seals, boys. Those pretty little Seals that we had absolutely no hope of stopping. Nex was a stupid little bitch who trusted all the wrong people. Luci's coming up for air and it's gonna bite all of us in the asses." Gabriel nodded once and Bobby let go, surprised at Sam's silence in the matter, as he moved and opened the latch.

"Let them talk, Bobby. I will not let harm come to him." Sam promised the elderly hunter who made an irritated sound.

"If she kills ya, I'd better not have a demon loose in my house." Bobby grumbled as Gabriel pulled the door open. Dalara was sitting in the center of the room, her hair draped over her face. Gabriel tried really hard not to look at what she was doing but couldn't stop the brief sense of horror that twisted through him. The demon was playing with the innards that had once been held in by the abandoned shirt.

"Being a demon is so much simpler. So much less pain. Of course, even as a human, I don't feel much pain." Onyx eyes met his as he stood paralyzed in the doorframe. "Tell me, Gabe. Do you remember the bliss of getting off The Rack? Finally being freed? I remember it. For every Soul I tortured I was rewarded with a succubus."

"The seal." He choked out, shoving away those Hell memories to the best of his ability.

"You sure know how to chat." She pressed her hand against her stomach, returning her innards as she rose to her feet in one fluid motion. "I am still her. The girl you've grown to care about." She said as she walked to the edge of the room, her black eyes staring into him as he stepped back. This wasn't Dalara. "I'm simply a manifestation of that twisted and broken Soul of hers. I am the corruption caused by Hell. I was sold to bring back a woman that Heaven was holding hostage. Dalara Lee Valentine sacrificed the one thing she had for the woman she loved. A woman that was murdered by an angel out of spite."

"That isn't-"

The demon snapped her gaze past him to Sam who'd spoken up angrily, interrupting him. "You naïve little thing. Well maybe not little. You are fucking tall. But it stands. Lilly was murdered because of Ion. Lilly was killed by an angel. An angel possessing an asshole with a gun. I bet you didn't know that. Ion didn't."

"Dalara." Gabriel stepped between the two, the tension thick in the air. He tried. He tried hard not to think about it. About something he'd grown to understand about demons. Brutal honesty was something they did well. "The seal."

She met his gaze, a dark look crossing her expression. "Fine." Clearing her throat, she stepped back, looking down at her hand that was still holding her innards, inside. "Nex summoned me to Hell. Told me she'd found the final Seal." The onyx eyes flicked to familiar blue for a second before returning to the terrible color. "It's her. The current ruler of fallen humanity must be destroyed by the first of fallen humanity."

The fluttering of wings filled the room and when Gabriel glanced over his shoulder Sam was gone. A look back at Dalara and she was settling back onto the ground.

"Why should I trust you?" He asked, though he believed her. Those last words she'd tried to say before she died.

" _Nes as eal."_

It fit together. Nex last seal. Nex is the last seal. Even then, he had to ask. Onyx eyes met his. "I'm still her. I told you this. Demons don't profit if Lucifer is freed. None of us do. Go and stop her before she kills my Queen."

Gabriel was about to do just that before he paused, "How do we get her back?"

"You wait." She answered simply as she reached into the hole in her stomach, the terrible sickening sound of her digging through her organs filling the silence. Gabriel had to look away, he jerked his gaze away and made to shut the door. "If I heal, she'll come back to control. I'm not healing, Gabriel Novak. Nex isn't healing me. Without her, the girl you've been stupid enough to care about will never return. I don't care either way but you probably do." Gabriel shut the door with a clank and made his way upstairs.

.-~*~-.

They were in the study, they being Samuel, Gabriel, Dean, Balthazar, and Castiel. Balthazar was cloaked and silently sitting in a chair watching the argument without comment. It was far from difficult for Samuel to recognize the sight of his brother being cut off from Heaven. Knowing what he had learned from Gabriel, he understood why Balthazar was staying with Castiel. That energy from his Soul was fueling him. As for the others, currently Dean was arguing loudly with Gabriel. They'd figured out _where_ Lilith had taken Nex. Now it was a matter of the final piece. What to do with the information they had. With Dean and Gabriel, it had been an endless circle of reasons why they _had_ to kill Lilith and why Dean absolutely would _not_ kill her. Samuel understood both sides and had chosen to stay out of it.

"Dean, I get it. You love your brother. Really, I do. But Lilith is going to destroy the world to get him back."

"No." Dean's hand tightened into a fist at his side, glaring violently at Gabriel. Pointedly Samuel stepped between them.

"Dean… I think he is right." Sam finally said getting an angry look from the ex-Archangel.

"Are you kidding me, Sam?" Dean asked disbelievingly, a brief flash of betrayal crossing him.

The idea of destroying his brother's Soul. It was a cruel concept. It was vindictive, there was nothing crueler that could be done. Balthazar shot him a stunned look from where he was but made no comment.

"No. I'm not. Dean, we have risked everything trying to protect Seals. Everything except for the one thing that we now know will guarantee it is stopped."

"We could just kill Nex." Dean pointed out and Samuel shook his head, because they had already discussed this.

"There will always be a ruler to Hell. Nex may have been assigned by Father but she was chosen _because_ Lucifer was Caged and _because_ Hell must have a ruler. If we don't kill Lilith, there's no other way to stop it. We cannot simply kill every successor to the Hell throne. It has to be Lilith."

Dean and him stared each other for several long silent moments before the clear sign of surrender appeared in the ex-Archangel's expression. "Lucifer will never forgive this, Sam. If we're wrong, do you realize what he'll do?"

"We have to stop him." Samuel stated, glancing over to see his Soul staring at him with a bit of astonishment. "I will need your Archangel Blade, Dean."

The god shifted slightly, looking away. "How did you know I still had it?"

Sam smiled grimly at the side of his brother's head. "No matter how far you run, that is one of the strongest weapons on the planet. You'd never let it go." Dean snapped his fingers and the Archangel Blade materialized on the desk in a puff of green god magic.

"Alright." Gabriel spoke up as he walked over to the desk, picking the blade up and inspecting it closely. "How're we doing this?" Gabriel met his gaze and he shook his head.

"I have to do it." Samuel stated bluntly, Dean not bothering trying to protest it. He knew how this would work.

"No." Gabriel told him, his hand visibly tightening on the blade.

"You're humans, Gabriel. I'm the only one here strong enough to kill her."

"Fuck you." Gabriel spat out angrily, causing Samuel to recoil slightly. "If you go there and we're wrong? No. Fuck. You." His Soul threw the blade to the side and stormed forward, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pulling him down so he was eyelevel. "You can't die. You won't die. Not now." His Soul was panicking beneath him, half of it trying to run from the close proximity of Grace while the other half sang to him, calling him in. He still couldn't feel his Soul. Not like he had before. Naomi had broken something in him. It didn't matter though because in that moment he wasn't trying to read the Soul. He was trying, and failing, to comprehend the hundred thousand emotions that flooded through those eyes in that instant.

Something new rang through him, an emotion he couldn't place. He knew how Gabriel felt about him. Even with Dean telling him about it, he'd figured it out. His own feelings? Those were something he wasn't sure about. Hadn't been able to decipher them. He definitely cared about his Soul. Now though. Now he couldn't afford to dwell on that.

He pulled away much to the obvious irritation of the man. "I have to, Gabriel. I am sorry." Spreading his wings he prepared to fly, summoning the Archangel's Blade into his hand and staring at it with a bit of fascination.

' _Don't die, Sammy.'_ Dean prayed silently to him and he cast a single look at his distraught looking brother before flying.

Gabriel's prayer come through as Samuel touched down in an old convent. The words in the prayer didn't at all match the broken and slightly betrayed tone, _'Samuel, angel of the lord, when you get back here. I'm going to kick your ass for ditching me then I'm going to do exactly what I've wanted to do since the day I met you. I don't care about any of the emotional shit because, Sam. You chose a hot as hell vessel.'_ There was a short onslaught of images from Gabriel that caused him to blush instinctively as he made his way down the hallway, the power of two white-eyed-demons getting closer as he approached the end of the hall. When he flung the door open he was met with the sight of a black haired child draped over the altar, covered in blood and sigils binding her to her Vessel. Nex.

Lilith was in a different vessel than before, a middle-aged woman with long blonde hair. _Lilith_.

White eyes met his and he felt a massive surge of pain tear through his Grace at what he was about to do. This was one of the worst things that he could ever choose to do.

"Coming to stop me?" Lilith asked sweetly as she stepped forward. "Can you really do that to your brother, angel? Can you really destroy his Soul?" She tilted her head, spreading her arms in invitation. "Do it. If you can. I don't think you're strong enough. I think you're the same as Debriel, as every angel that has come before me. I don't think you're capable of it." She told him coldly, Nex shot him a desperate look from her place on the altar.

Was Samuel capable of it? Of the single cruelest crime in existence? Of destroying Lucifer's Soul?

"Do it, coward!" She taunted him, laughing maniacally as a twisted smile crossed her face. "Do it! If you don't, I'll free my love. I'll free him and he'll crush the world. He'll do everything I ask him because he would do anything for me, no matter the cost. Do it, or leave. Make your choice, angel. I'm giving you that _choice_ you little _coward._ "

Detaching himself from his baser instincts he stalked forward and plunged the blade into her abdomen, much to the shock of the both of them.

' _Samuel, don't!'_ Lucifer's voice rang through him in a desperate panic.

Everything following that was _wrong_. It couldn't be. He'd done the right thing. Right?

A grateful smile crossed Lilith's face as she looked up at him, slumping down to the ground as her Soul twisted and turned under her skin, shrinking in on itself and vanishing into nothing. Lilith was gone.

That wasn't all. The moment that blade had run through her, he'd felt something else. Something he hadn't placed at first. Until…

The ground beneath him shook and he stepped back, watching in horror as her blood spread out in an unnatural form, twisting and warping the ground around it, spreading into a familiar design.

"You did it." Samuel jerked his attention to the altar to see Nex sitting on the edge of it, her ankles crossed. "You actually did it!" The demon laughed loudly as Samuel become aware of something else, his wings. A glance over his shoulder confirmed it. The blackening of feathers.

No.

This wasn't right.

"You freed him! Lilith said it would work! Said all I had to do was play the good guy. And you did it. You freed him!" Nex jumped off the altar and knelt by Lilith's body, closing her eyes.

"I don't understand." He choked out as the sigil on the ground began to glow. He could feel it. Feel the approaching power. He needed to fly. He needed to _go_. His wings. He stretched them but couldn't get them to cooperate. Couldn't fly.

"A sacrifice. The one thing that Lucifer loved had to be destroyed to free him. She had to be destroyed by the angel that broke the same rule he did."

"I didn't-"

Nex met his gaze, smiling cruelly. "You did, Samuel. You brought your Soul back to life. You broke the same rule as Lucifer. He won't be happy with you. In fact. He'll probably torture you for it. No one knew. No one except me and her. I was the only other one who knew. I manipulated your Soul, your brother, his Vessel. I manipulated all of you. I did it all. I freed him. Oh, he's going to be furious. He's going to destroy the both of us. But do you know what? I don't care. I got to have my fun. I was so _tired_ of ruling. I got to enjoy myself. We'll die for it. After _all this time_. This is my punishment, and her reward. I will suffer _dearly_ for it. Maybe then, I can be forgiven."

Samuel wasn't focusing on what Nex was saying. The ramblings of an insane demon _didn't matter_. Light erupted from the floor before them and Samuel turned. He turned and he ran. The last thing he heard before he tried to throw himself into the air on half feathered wings was Lucifer's cry, _'Lilith!'_


	21. 20: Lucifer, The Devil In The Detail

**Guys, I've been waiting for this chapter way too long. I won't spoil it but beware that this chapter is about Lucifer and his Fall. It has poorly done biblical aspects and I do have God portrayed.**

Lucifer had been trapped in his Cage for longer than he would ever wish to remember. The Cage was his prison. His Father's worst creation. While he was well aware of how long passed on Earth, it did not matter. The time on Earth passed by so slow it was as though it never moved. Time trickled by slowly, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, it kept moving and Lucifer was forced to remember each and every moment of it. There was nothing else to do but count and wait.

A single month of time on Earth was a thousand years for him. Over the millions of years in his prison he had memorized every corner of the damned Cage. Every inch from bottom to top. From to corner to corner. Every nook and cranny. Nothing ever changed. It all stayed the same.

Nothing _ever_ changed.

In the beginning of his imprisonment he had been exhausted. He had gone willingly after he'd battled Michael and lost. What was he punished for? The answer was simple. He had been banished for loving what Father had given him. For doing as told. That single thing had destroyed him. Lilith had belonged to him. Him and no one else. Father had given her to him and it had been perfect. Everything had been perfect in Heaven. Everyone had been happy. Then Lilith had died.

.-~*~-.

On the first day of humanity, God had gathered the Archangels and spoken to them. As he rose the first of humanity from the soil, he had addressed Debriel first, "Spread the word among Heaven. Debriel, you will teach this to each of your brothers," in the early days angels had not taken on the term of sister. They were brothers in arms. "These humans are yours, children. Each of you will have one. One Soul that is yours to love. Love it more than me, more than anything. They belong to you. Now and forever they are yours. However, you must remember this. Should your Soul ever die, you must allow them to move on. You have to allow them to travel to Heaven. They _must_ move on. You must never return them to life. As long as you do this, you will have your Soul. It will be yours for all of eternity."

Lucifer had thought he had understood what his Father meant at the time. They had all accepted the orders, as they were meant to do, and Debriel had spread the news among their brothers. In the long run, an order like that, it was setting them up for failure.

Popular belief and knowledge was incorrect. Most everyone believed Lucifer was the first of the Fallen. It was inaccurate. No one had understood Falling in that time so it had not been spread as the first Fall. An angel by the name of Ramiel had been the first to Fall. Ramiel had been the first being in existence to sin. Their Father had not explained this to any of them though his actions had set the line for what would cause a Seraph or lower to Fall.

When Ramiel had Fallen it had been sudden and quick, ended far too quickly. It was in truth probably something that most of Heaven probably had never learned of happening. Maybe it was best that he took all of the blame.

Ramiel had been angry. Angry about what? Lucifer was unsure. The events that had led to Ramiel's Fall had started in Heaven. Lucifer had left Adam to be with Lilith so he could spend some time with his younger siblings. Lucifer would always regret that choice. If he had done differently, Lilith would not have died. Her death, the downfall that followed, it was all his fault.

Lucifer had said something to the young angel. What? He could not remember. To this day he could not remember what words he had spoken. What were the words that had ultimately destroyed Heaven? What thing had Lucifer spoken to his younger sibling that had broken Heaven apart?

When Ramiel had flown away Lucifer had attempted to follow the angel but he had been unable to keep up. Ramiel had been fast and when Ramiel had demanded to be alone Lucifer had obliged, choosing to give his sibling space. They would speak again later. Lucifer had left Ramiel and returned to Heaven's Garden to speak with Debriel before he returned to Earth. Before he returned to Lilith.

.-~*~-.

Sometimes Lucifer would stand in his Cage and stare out across Hell from inside the walls, watch things trickle by in the slowest possible way. Lucifer would draw his blade from within his Grace and stare at the beautiful piece given to him by his Father.

An object older than all of humanity. One of the only things on the planet that could destroy him completely. He would hold that blade and he would contemplate ending it. Contemplate freeing himself from the burden of his Cage. Until he would remember. Until he would remember _why_ he did it. _Why_ he stayed.

"Lilith." He would tell himself, a promise, one day he would be free. One day he would return to the light and beauty of Heaven. One day he would take Lilith and return her to Heaven. One day he would sit in those beautiful fields with her.

One day he would return and reunite his siblings with their own Souls.

.-~*~-.

It had happened suddenly. Lucifer had never expected _what_ it would feel like. He had never once considered the possibility that it would happen so soon. Not for a very long time. Their Father had told them that it _could_ happen. That it _would_ happen one day. However, it was not supposed to happen so soon. He was supposed to have more time.

Lucifer had been in Heaven's Garden following his encounter with Ramiel, him and Debriel had been speaking. A Seraph by the name of Jibril, the same Seraph that would become God's Messenger one day, had brought them a new creature. It had been a strange contraption that had made Debriel's Grace flicker with amusement.

"I call it a Platypus." The Seraph had told them proudly.

Lucifer had knelt before Jibril, he knelt before him and inspected the strange creature. Jibril had not been the first angel to make new creatures and ask for approval. He certainly would not be the last. After the events of that day, Lucifer would never see another one of these creatures. Jibril and the platypus would be the last Seraph and creature Lucifer would see for a very long time. Lucifer might have laughed at it now, if he could find the humor to do so. If the reasons why had not been so terrible. "Good job, Jibril."

The Seraph's wings had fluttered behind him, his Grace shining brighter. "Do you like it, Lucifer?"

"It is strange yet interesting, brother. Take it now. Make it a second so that it may make more then take it to Father. Father will find its place on Earth for you."

Jibril had lit up brighter and taken flight, cradling the strange creature within his Grace. When Lucifer had risen Debriel had spoken something. Something Lucifer would never know. Something he would never remember because in that single moment his entire being had changed.

Words could not to begin to describe the agony and fear that tore through him. Panic, knowledge, hundreds of other things all in one single terrible moment. All he had known was _fly_. _Save._ _Rescue._

When he landed in Eden it was too late, Adam was in panic. The First Man was holding onto Lilith's body and there was _so much blood_. Lucifer saw Ramiel, standing there, cloaked as to hide from Adam. To hide from the terrible crime that he had committed. The first sin ever committed by any creature. Lucifer did not think before he launched himself at his younger sibling.

The first sin Lucifer ever committed was running his blade through Ramiel's Grace. It was an action that Lucifer would _never_ regret simply because no one else would have done it. However, as time passed, Lucifer would grow to regret that he had killed Ramiel. Ramiel deserved so much more suffering. He deserved the years Lucifer had spent in The Cage. Death was a mercy that Ramiel did not deserve, however he was gone. He would never walk any of the dimensions again.

Lucifer had only briefly seen as Ramiel's wings had begun to shed their feathers. The first angel to Fall was killed in an instant. Lucifer was possessing Adam in the next instant.

Lucifer had held Lilith in his arms and shouted. Shouted so loud all of Heaven had heard. ' _Lilith is dead. Lilith is gone._ ' _It was not right._

Lucifer took flight again, vacating Adam with so much force that he nearly killed him. It was terrible and cruel but Lucifer _did not care._

He knew where Lilith would go, where she would arrive, The First Heaven. He would find her Soul there and he would bring her back. She was not meant to die, not yet, it was not her time.

Lucifer had been aiming for The First Heaven, when Lucifer instead arrived in front of his Father. He was furious. Angry, terribly angry.

"You will not, Lucifer." His Father had told him. Lucifer had not thought for a second, his wings flaring out behind him as he stood before Him.

"Father, it was not her time. Ramiel took her time from her." He bristled.

"It was her time. Lucifer, you may visit her but you can never return her to life. I told you in the beginning, Lucifer. Once your Soul is dead it will not return." Pause. "You nearly killed Adam with your carelessness."

Lucifer had stared at his Father for several long moments, uncaring of what he had done to Adam. It did not matter. Adam would survive. It could have been decades before Lucifer allowed his wings to droop. "She should not be dead, Father. You are wrong."

That had not earned a reaction at the time, God had simply watched him until Lucifer had finally taken flight, arriving in Lilith's Heaven.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer did regret his choices from that day. What he regretted was how he had handled it all. All of his time in The Cage had given him time to think, to regret. What had been done was unforgiveable. It was wrong and unfair to her.

What had followed also was not completely his fault. No matter what he had been told. It was not his fault. Lilith had meant more to him than all of Heaven, more than God or his brothers. Lilith had been the center of his entire being. Lilith was all that had mattered. God had given her to him and he had done as told.

Lucifer had done it without a thought. He had loved a single human more than anything. He had done what he was told then been punished for it.

Of course, Lucifer had also been naïve then. He had been naïve and stupid and allowed Lilith to push him, allowed her to push him into making the wrong choices.

There was time when he would sit in the center of The Cage and stare out it and remember what their Father had done. What He had made Michael do to him. Lucifer did not blame Michael for following the orders. Not when he had Fallen for disobeying orders. It did not change that Lucifer would sit in that Cage and stare out. Stare out and wish.

It was not The Cage that was breaking him down. The Cage was not what was ripping him apart. He could have and would have taken another million, another ten million, the rest of eternity in The Cage. The Cage was not the issue. It was the isolation. The Seals kept him locked away completely. He could not hear his family, could not know anything more than the time and his memories. That was all he had.

Some days he thought of the platypus that Jibril had brought him that day. The kangaroo that him and Debriel had made days before. The narwhal that Raphael had made on one of the first days. All of the strange, interesting creatures that him and his family had come up with. Remembering his time in Eden with Lilith. If he could not see his brothers and Soul; he would remember them. Remembering them, remembering that one day he would see them again. That was all that held him together.

.-~*~-.

When Lucifer arrived in Lilith's Heaven, it became all too real. In the past when Lucifer had seen Lilith it had been within the confines of her Vessel. From the first day.

The day of her creation the Archangels had stood with their Father and watched Him create both her and Adam from the ground. From the Earth the first humans had been born. There had been minor flaws, imperfections, their Father had told them that they were meant to be flawed. Lucifer had been awestruck.

"She will be yours and you hers, Lucifer. For all of eternity." God had told him directly before turning to address his brothers.

Lucifer had felt the change, his Grace reaching out and seeking. In that moment he would never be the same angel. Never again. Even when he was spending time with the other angels Lilith was always the first thought. The first thing. Lucifer had seen her and nothing else.

"These humans are yours, children. Each of you will have one. One Soul that is yours to love. Love it more than me, more than anything. They belong to you. Now and forever they are yours. However, you must remember this. Should your Soul ever die, you must allow them to move on. You have to allow them to travel to Heaven. They must move on. You must never return them to life. As long as you do this, you will have your Soul. It will be yours for all of eternity." The brothers spoke agreements as they watched their Father finish the creation of Adam and Lilith. The first humans.

Lucifer had thought he had understood. In that single moment Lilith was his. Lilith was all that mattered. All he had seen was the girl that belonged to him, the gift from their Father.

Despite popular belief, angels did not love their Soul to begin with. Not in the way that angels always spoke of. Blind loyalty was there, like with their Father they would do anything for their Soul. Perhaps more. Falling in love with the Soul was an entirely different matter. Lucifer had fallen in love with his Soul over time. Had stopped seeing her as simply his Soul. He had seen her as Lilith. As the girl he loved. The woman he loved. Adam had become Lucifer's first Vessel. The first Vessel on the planet. Once Adam had said 'yes', or the closest thing to a 'yes' at that time, Lucifer had been free to possess him whenever he wished.

Standing in Lilith's Heaven reminded him all of this. Made him regret ever leaving Adam. If he had _been_ _there_. He could have saved her.

Lilith was dead but her Soul was so beautiful. It was the most beautiful thing in existence. Lucifer was by her side in a moment, his wings wrapping around the both of them as he held her close.

He would never leave her again.

Their Father created a new woman, a new human that replaced Lilith. Lucifer did not leave Lilith's Heaven. He stayed with her and they did everything they could together. Back then he was able to manipulate Heaven to a certain extent. It had only been days on Earth but for them it had been years or more. Lucifer lost track of how much time he spent with his Soul. It did not matter. Lilith was his.

Each of the Archangels visited at least once. A single Seraph had visited before he'd sent it away with an angry warning. Never again.

Lucifer would never leave her again. Her death had been his fault and he would do all he could to protect her. Even when it was in Heaven where, in theory, it was as safe as it could be.

They stayed there until the day Lilith finally asked him a question. A single question that would destroy Heaven's very structure.

"Can you return me to life?"

.-~*~-.

Lucifer would never forget the day The First Seal broke. In one single slice of a human Soul he could _hear_ again. Time in The Cage _changed_. He could manipulate it for the first time. He felt power over his surroundings. Just enough control over The Cage to align it with Hell.

His brothers, no, now they were his brothers and sisters. _Interesting_. They were loud in his Grace and he clung to that. His brothers. His _sisters_. He could _hear_ them again. _Feel_ them. His remaining unbroken wings flared up behind him. Eight remained. Eight of what had once been twelve beautiful wings. The four remaining ones hung limply from him as those eight wings flared to life behind him, stretching and moving. For the first time in a very long time he tried to fly. He launched himself at that Cage wall and cried out when it did not let him leave.

' _The First Seal is broken.'_ He heard Raphael announce to Heaven, the words mournful.

One step to freedom. He would do anything, do everything he could. It had been somewhere around five thousand human years since his entrapment. He picked through all of his brothers and sisters minds until he had gathered the information he needed.

The world had changed drastically and his suspicions were correct. Someone had corrupted his story. The story of his Fall manipulated by who he suspected was either Debriel or Raphael. Corrupted and changed until he was no longer the angel who had loved his Soul too much but the angel that had defied Heaven and destroyed his Soul in his anger.

It appeared that over time, more angels had gained then lost their Souls. After Lucifer's Fall their Father had locked all of the angels from their Souls' heavens. In their minds it was Lucifer's fault.

The Righteous Man who would become Michael's Vessel had been broken apart to break The First Seal. He did not want that. Not truly. It had to happen. It had to. It was the only way he could get to what he wanted.

 _Lilith._

Maybe things could be fixed. Maybe he could convince Michael to understand. To risk the Fall. He would need more angels on his side, more to voice for him.

' _My brothers. My sisters. You have failed. Join us and we will stop. Join us and you will be free. No more tragic tales of Souls, no more pain, just freedom. You need not worry, brothers and sisters. I will take your hand. Lay your weapons down, show your loyalty to me. Take the freedom, make the choice. Father was wrong. He should not have done what He did. We are meant to be Guardians to them, and we are not meant to lose them. They break us. Ruin us. Follow me. Should you choose to join me, I will allow you to see them again. I will give them to you.'_

His words came out harsher than he had intended and he realized how truly angry he was. That was not what he wanted. What he wanted was to return Heaven to its original glory. Why had he said those things?

In the end, he realized temptation would be the best way to get them to join. He would make every promise he could. He told Hell to leave any angel that lay their weapon down alone. Let them join him. He would give them what they deserved. What Father had taken from them.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer thought over what God had told him. He was not meant to return his Soul to life. He was forbidden to.

"Please, Lucifer. I do not wish to remain dead. I miss life, I miss the world. Please. I miss my body and I miss you residing in Adam."

He loved her. He loved her more than anything, more than anyone. Lucifer was hers. He would do anything for her. There should have been more thought before he wrapped his wings around the both of them, pulling her Soul into his Grace.

' _Lucifer_!' Debriel called after him in a panic as he launched himself from Heaven to Earth, holding Lilith to him. He would save her. He would return her to life.

He found where Lilith had been buried, he found the location that Adam had set her beneath the Earth. Not far, not very far at all. With a thought the ground was removed from her corpse and he was kneeling next to it.

"Lucifer." Eight wings flared aggressively behind him, four remaining wrapped around him to hold his Soul in his Grace. Lucifer rested his gaze on God as He stood before them. "Do not do this."

" _Why should I not?"_ Lucifer responded bitterly, cradling Lilith closer to him. All he could do in that moment was stare at his Father and hold his wings higher, as though it may scare The Creator.

"I have told you before, Lucifer. She was meant to die."

" _I can return her to life. Why give me that power if I cannot use it?"_ Lucifer retorted bitterly. Lilith did not wish to be dead, he did not wish for her to remain dead, why did it matter if he returned her to life?

God did not respond to that, his Father giving him a single look that told him more than words ever could.

Lucifer stared into his father's eyes as he touched Lilith's corpse, healing it, returning it to what it had once been. _"You gave me this power, Father."_

"I have also warned you, Lucifer. Many times, I warned you. You will not be the only angel who suffers for your defiance. Remember that what follows this is your doing." God flicked His wrist and Lucifer screamed.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer needed _out_. Out was the only way. Out was all he had. He had to get out, he had to see her again. He needed to return to Lilith. One last time. No matter how things ended, if this mess of events meant that Lucifer could take his True Vessel, if this meant that he could touch Lilith one final time, it did not matter what followed. If he was forced to, he would battle Michael. He would defeat his brother.

When Lucifer first began calling on his brothers and sisters he did not intend on asking them to fight. It was not his idea. Lucifer made promises to all of the angels. Promises he fully intended on fulfilling. It was not until the day that the angel Samuel retrieved his Soul, Michael's True Vessel, and rose it from Hell to return it to life, funny how that worked, that Lucifer shifted The Cage's time to coincide with Earth. Hell was a distant problem, a slow crawl in comparison to the things that had begun on Earth.

Lucifer watched the battles on Earth through the eyes of his brothers and sisters. Watched as his demons attempted again and again to conquer the locations of Seals. He saw everything. It was not going well. The demons may have possessed the willingness to throw themselves into the battle but they did not have the power. The years had given him plenty of demon Souls to dispose of, which he felt shame for. He was sacrificing corrupt versions of his Father's greatest creation to be freed.

It was not his fault. Not his choice. Their Father had forced this on him. It was on Him. Not Lucifer.

' _Send us to fight, Lucifer.'_ One of his angels had told him boldly, Amarian.

Lucifer did not want his brothers and sisters to die. Less so the angels that had joined his cause. He would not have chosen to send them on his own, not ever. However, if he was a commander to a battle, trapped within the darkest pits of Hell. If that was what they wished to do, who was he to fight it?

Lucifer did not wish to kill his brothers and sisters, _fear_ , something told him. _Use fear to have them join us._

' _Join us or die.'_ Spoken bitterly, harsher than he had intended. He could not take it back, instead he spoke to his own angels, _'Brothers and sisters, I will not force this of you. Join the battle if you wish, do what you must, break the Seals. If you do not intend on getting involved, then don't.'_

The bloodshed that followed tore him apart. He held on. _Hope._ Hope that he could see her again. That he could see his family again.

"Lilith, I'm sorry." Lucifer spoke softly to no one.

.-~*~-.

The Fall of Lucifer was not pleasant. It was painful, excruciating. People spoke of his story, of how he created Lilith. How he turned her into a demon. They said that he twisted and corrupted her out of spite. That was not the case. When God had broken four of his wings the pain had been unbearable. At the time he had held her Soul close to him, within him. When that pain had ripped through him he had made a terrible mistake.

He had held on too tight.

He had squeezed too tight. Held on for all of his might as he tried to bear through the raw excruciating pain.

When he had managed coherency again he could feel his Grace fracturing and tearing. For more than one reason.

 _Lilith._

He dropped her onto the earth and what he had done to her was indescribable. _"Remember that what follows this is your doing."_ Lilith had been twisted and distorted, broken and shredded, by one single action. Lilith was destroyed. The once beautiful white light that had fueled his Grace had been corrupted until she was barely recognizable.

Lilith had slid across the ground to her body when Lucifer had dropped her, forcing her way into the empty body and sitting up from where she was, looking across her healed form curiously then looking at him with pure white eyes.

"You did it."

It was wrong. Her voice, her words, they sounded wrong. She was tainted, corrupted. Something in him screamed at him to destroy her. He could not have done that. She was his Soul. He would never harm her.

" _Lilith."_ It was all he could manage as she climbed from her hole in the ground, flexing fingers and muscles alike.

"Take Adam, Lucifer. Take him so we can be."

Adam had revoked his consent after Lucifer had failed at protecting Lilith. After Lucifer had nearly killed him. Adam could not be his Vessel. Not now.

"Lucifer, look at me." He lifted himself to look at her as she knelt before him, "I am still me, Lucifer. I am still yours." He may have been naïve, or desperate. Lucifer wished to believe this was true. He held onto that fact, held onto the fact that his corrupting her had not changed her.

As he had done many times in Heaven, he reached out with his Grace and touched her, she recoiled with a cry, falling on her back.

This was it. His punishment. He stretched his wings, cringing at the broken limbs that attempted and failed to stretch with the others.

"Lucifer, wait!" Lilith cried before he took flight. He landed in Heaven, in front of God who was watching him with no hint of what He may have been thinking.

" _You knew."_ He accused his Father. God had known what would happen when He had broken Lucifer's wings. God had known what would happen to Lilith and He had not _cared_.

Simply. "I suspected."

Lucifer launched himself without a thought at his Father, attempting to do any damage. In the flick of a wrist Lucifer was caught midair, crying out in agony as his still functional wings were held there by invisible hands.

"You have corrupted her, Lucifer. Destroyed her. She will not be the first or the last. You will never return to Heaven again. I will give you a new dimension, a place where the humans your choices lead to will suffer for eternity. You will take Lilith and you will stay there. Neither of you will ever return to Heaven."

Then he was Falling.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer counted as each Seal broke. The birth of the Archangel Samael had thrown him off. How could a new _Archangel_ be born? Was this meant to cement that one of the Archangels would soon die? Give Debriel, who was still missing at the time, incentive to return before the battle? Michael never spoke, not to anyone. Raphael was the only Archangel Lucifer had heard speak since The First Seal broke. They never answered him and Lucifer had to wonder what Michael was doing if he wasn't speaking.

Sometimes when Lucifer spoke to his younger siblings his words came across harsher than intended. It was not meant to be but part of him was extremely bitter. He had spent more time than he could remember in The Cage. He had every right to be bitter. What had been a few thousand years for Heaven and Earth had been so much longer for him.

When Jerusalem and half of Israel had been destroyed Lucifer had every intention of allowing them to mourn the loss of the angels. What he had spoken that day was true. That many angel deaths had weighed on him. It also was not just the angels that he mourned for, it was the humans and demons that had been present in that zone. All of that death and none of them had noticed, not until a single angel had found it. When Zachariah had stepped up and had Heaven's angels turn on them, there had been a line crossed. That was Zachariah's choice, not anyone else's. The Seraph would suffer for it.

It was not until after he had made his promise to Zachariah that he had learned the truth of what had happened in Jerusalem. Part of him had suspected but it had not been confirmed. He did not want to believe it was possible. Then he had heard Raphael speaking to Michael.

A single whisper. _'Six hundred and none of them suspect me, brother. We will free Lucifer. We will end this.'_

When it had fallen into place, Lucifer had been angry. Not angry enough to reveal the truth to the others. Just angry. Raphael had killed six hundred of their brothers and sisters just to speed up the time in which he was released. Thousands of demons and more humans. It was wrong. It was unfair to those that were following Heaven.

Just as Michael had been since the Seals had begun breaking, or longer, he had remained silent on the matter. The sooner it ended, the sooner he could see Lilith again. The sooner he could return his brothers and sisters to their Souls.

.-~*~-.

Hell had started out small, so very small. Lucifer had been the second being to arrive there. He had landed in the dark dimension, the cold infiltrating his Grace and pulling at him. It had hurt, it had hurt so much. Lucifer had been unsure what to do with his new domain. What did one do when they were banished from their home and handed an entire dimension to run as punishment?

Lilith was sitting on the ground next to what could only be described as a throne. It was wrong. It was made with human bodies. The humans that had been created following Adam and Eve. Lucifer was angry again. Angry at his Father. Angry at what He had done to him. Lilith was resting against its side and watching him with sad white eyes.

"Lucifer, what is this?"

Lucifer considered his answer, considered everything. Lilith was still so broken. Broken and destroyed. By what his Father had done to him. He could not touch her. Not until another suitable Vessel came to him. _Your True Vessel._ Instinct told him.

" _It is…my domain."_ He finally spoke, _"Hell."_ He said after another moment.

"It is fascinating." Lucifer watched his Soul from a distance as she stepped forward until she was inches in front of him. "Lucifer, find Adam." She reached out as though to touch him then recoiled in the same moment, no doubt remembering the last time she had attempted to touch his new form.

" _I cannot."_ He stated. He wanted to fix things. Demanding a Vessel so soon after his banishment was not right.

Lilith held his gaze, a plea in them, "Lucifer, you can. You are one of the most powerful beings in existence. You are more beautiful than any of your brothers. Your wings. Pure and untainted, even when some are broken. It would be a gift to someone to be possessed. If not Adam, choose another. There are plenty of new humans you can choose from. Choose one. A man, a woman, I do not care. Choose one and come to me. Choose one and touch me in a physical form again. Everything is different when alive. Please, Lucifer. For me. You once told me you would do anything for me." Lucifer was hers. From the beginning until eternity. He loved her endlessly despite everything that had happened. He would Fall again for her. It was ignorant but he did not care. He would do what he must for her. He would be her everything.

So Lucifer flew, he flew to Earth and he explored. The land had changed, he found the humans he had been seeking out and spoke softly to a woman, told her he was an angel. He was an angel. A broken an angel but an angel all the same. This woman was different than Adam and Lilith had been.

She had nearly been blinded by his True Form and he had been forced to hide himself as he spoke to her. The newer humans could not safely perceive him. It was strange. Why would Father do that to them?

When she had finally consented he had been grateful. Unfortunately, things had not been that simple. Before he could completely overtake her form she had exploded from the inside out. Lucifer recoiled at his own actions, staring in horror at the damage he had done. He knelt next to what had once been her form and rebuilt her, muttering apologies as he recreated her physical form for her. He could not retrieve her Soul from Heaven when he was banished but he could at least give the other humans something to bury.

" _Please, Lucifer. For me."_ Lilith's plea rang through him, a reminder.

There was only one other choice. He would try. Lucifer was aware Adam still lived in Eden. With a thought he was flying again, flying to Adam. About to ask the man he had failed for the one thing he had no right to ask again.

.-~*~-.

Sixty-five seals were broken. Lucifer felt it. Everything was so close, so very close. He could almost taste Earth. He could almost feel his Father's sun again. _Sixty-five seals._

He heard rumors that Lilith was the only one that could break it. Whispers among the lower level angels and the Seraphs. Lucifer also heard Raphael asking Michael for guidance. Guidance that was never given. Where was Michael?

Debriel's refusal to meld with Samael followed by his freeing her had left Raphael angry and uneasy. Raphael had stolen his Grace from wherever it had landed to guarantee that Debriel would never return to Heaven, that left a question however. Where did Samael escape to? In the commotion that allowed Samael's escape from Heaven was worrisome in itself. Samael was an unknown force. Both Lucifer and Raphael knew the damage she could do.

Of course, Lucifer was also grateful that Debriel had done what he did. Raphael had been all but torturing the fledgling Archangel. Binding her Grace, imprisoning her.

Raphael had no right.

Michael needed to step up and do _something._

Aside from what was happening in Heaven, Lucifer continued tempting his brothers and sisters.

Samuel had held his interest from the beginning.

Samuel was the only angel on Earth that all of Heaven knew had a living Soul. Samuel had been so very close to joining him many times. Lucifer had pushed and pushed. Reminded him that he would lose Gabriel.

Even Lucifer didn't have the resources to watch all the angels at all times. Lucifer had not realized the plans that Debriel and Samuel had made with the brothers. Not until the last moment when Debriel had prayed to him, the god power tinting his brother's prayer the only reason he had listened to begin with.

' _I'm so sorry, Lucifer. If there was another way to protect the planet, I wouldn't have given it to him. Forgive me, brother. There is nothing worse than allowing him to do this.'_

It was then that Lucifer was on high alert. What was Debriel talking about? Heaven wasn't pushing against the final Seal snapping. If they were Raphael would have found Lilith and killed her to stop it from happening.

Debriel wasn't working for Heaven. What-

Frantically he searched through all of his brothers and sisters until at last he found Samuel's mind. _'Samuel, don't!'_ He shouted in the same moment that Samuel stalked forward, holding Debriel's Archangel Blade in hand. The moment that Debriel's blade ran through Lilith Lucifer _felt_.

Lucifer felt everything in one single terrible moment.

Lilith being destroyed.

The Final Seal slowly breaking.

Pain.

Agony.

He was going to be free.

At what cost? What had his freedom cost him? What had his choices cost them all?

The sight of Lilith's Soul burning out at his brother's blade played across his Grace like a terrible movie. The words his Father had spoken all those years played at the back of it.

 _"These humans are yours, children. Each of you will have one. One Soul that is yours to love. Love it more than me, more than anything. They belong to you. Now and forever they are yours. However, you must remember this. Should your Soul ever die, you must allow them to move on. You have to allow them to travel to Heaven. They must move on. You must never return them to life. As long as you do this, you will have your Soul. It will be yours for all of eternity."_

 _"You will not be the only angel who suffers for your defiance. Remember that what follows this is your doing."_

" _Lilith!"_ He shouted as he spread his functional wings and launched himself from The Cage.

.-~*~-.

When Lucifer arrived at Eden he was barred from entry.

A single angel manifested in front of him. _Gadreel._

A low-level angel, nothing more than a warrior.

Why had God entrusted the safety of Eden to this simple soldier?

Lucifer had never seen this angel. He was one of the newer ones. Once upon a time, he may have been delighted to see another of his new brothers.

Not now.

"Gadreel." He warned the other angel who shifted himself to a different angle, defensive.

Two wings rose up behind the young angel in a way that could almost be seen as a threat. If Lucifer wasn't an Archangel. "Father has told me not to allow you passage."

There were many things he could have done. He could have lied, he could have said something, instead Lucifer lifted his wings behind him, high and mighty in a clear threat.

Honesty. "I killed Ramiel, Gadreel. Think before you attempt to challenge me."

A shiver of fear crossed Gadreel's grace, his wings twitching as though he would surrender. He did not. Instead, he spoke to him. "You destroyed Lilith. I cannot let you pass into Eden."

His Grace flicked for a moment, reaching behind him towards the garden before returning to its place.

 _Ah._

Lucifer brought in one set of wings, watching the younger angel, "Father gave you Eve. I swear on Lilith. I will not harm her. I will never harm another human Soul."

His younger brother shifted again, clearly searching his brother for a lie. When he found none he stepped to the side, his wings bowing in submission.

Lucifer was grateful it had happened without bloodshed.

Eden was just as beautiful as it had been in the beginning. Always so beautiful. Now that he had passed his younger brother he was reminded. Reminded what he was doing. Who he was doing it for.

 _Lilith._

Lucifer was desperate. Desperate for anything. Desperate for Lilith. Whatever it took, he would give her everything she deserved for every time he had failed her. In the end he was going to destroy himself for her.

" _Adam."_ He had stood before The First Man, pleading, desperate.

"No, Lucifer. Never again." Adam had been uneasy, stepped away from him. "God told me what you did. You are not supposed to be able to pass."

" _And He is always honest?"_ Lucifer questioned Adam bitterly, his gaze moving to Eve as she arrived.

"Leave, Lucifer." Adam warned him, stepping between the Archangel and The Second Woman.

He would not harm Eve. That did not mean he could not push her into making her own choice. _"Eve. Tell me. Have you never questioned what God has told you? The tree will give you knowledge. More knowledge than you could ever begin to comprehend."_ Eve had blinked at him, tilting her head in a curious way that reminded Lucifer much of the fledgling angels.

"Lucifer, go. If you do not leave I will summon your brothers. You should not be here." Adam threatened him. What he did following that didn't pass his notice. Lucifer caught it. Adam's curious glance at the tree.

" _Think of the tree, Eve. Should you eat from it, you will be wiser than any other human. Father does not wish this because knowledge is the base power of the world."_ He planted that seed in their minds, it was enough. Adam would not consent, would not give him his body back, he deserved to suffer God's wrath when they were punished.

Anger was a funny thing.

Lucifer flew again, flew and flew. Flew and mourned. He would have to wait. Wait for however long it took until a new suitable Vessel would come forth. Lucifer was unsure how long he flew. He had not seen Lilith. He could not return to her. He could not disappoint her. It could have been years or more before Michael arrived in front of him, acting as a physical barrier that forced Lucifer to land.

"Michael-"

"I have been ordered to lock you away, Lucifer."

Michael did not want to do this. Lucifer could feel it in the shifting of Michael's Grace. The unease in his words.

"You do not have to do this, brother." Lucifer pleaded, shifting slightly so that if his brother chose to strike he would be prepared to defend himself.

"Make your choice, Lucifer. As we all are aware you are capable of. Choose to fight me here or follow me and allow me to lock you away. Should you choose to fight, you are incapacitated. You will not win." Lucifer could almost hear the silent plea. Michael telling him he did not want to fight him. They were still brothers.

Lucifer stared for several long moments at his elder brother. He was at a major disadvantage. Almost half of his wings broken and tattered behind him. It wasn't just that either. This was Michael, God's greatest warrior. His older brother.

The First War was not a war but a single battle between brothers that led to his entrapment. Lucifer should not have tried to fight but he was fearful. Fearful of what being locked away would entail. Lucifer flared his functional wings behind him and launched forward, hoping that the suddenness of his attack would throw his brother off guard.

Michael was the greatest warrior in Heaven. He did not have a chance.

They fought and tore into each other, rising up off the ground and battling in the air. The two Archangels sliced and struck at each other, it was a fruitless effort. Lucifer was using only eight wings while Michael had the advantage of all twelve. He held himself higher above Lucifer, was able to rest wing sets and interchange which he was flying with. It hit a point where all Lucifer could do was attempt to fend off his elder brother's attacks, his own wings exhausted.

This battle should have remained on the ground.

It was when Lucifer made the mistake of lodging his blade in Michael's wing that the battle ended. It was in that moment that Lucifer was forced to choose. Death, or The Cage.

At the time, The Cage had sounded more promising. At least then, one day, he would be able to return to Earth. One day he would see Lilith again, hopefully that day would be when his True Vessel had been born. Maybe then he could be with Lilith again. Hold her one final time.

Lucifer had allowed Michael to guide him to The Cage.

"Father has told me, Lucifer. One day you will be freed. Freed by who, I am uncertain, but you will be freed. My True Vessel will break The First Seal on this Cage. Sixty-six total seals must break before you will be freed. Once you are free, you will battle me. In this battle, only one of us will survive. I am sorry, Lucifer."

"I will never want to kill you, Brother. Consider this when you find your Soul. I did as Father ordered. He told us to love them more than anything and I did just that. His orders meant nothing in comparison to her happiness."

Michael hadn't responded to Lucifer's words. Instead he had ripped Lucifer's blade from his own wing and left it before Lucifer.

Then Michael had shut The Cage, leaving his brother to his isolation.

Lucifer waited.

 **Be sure to check out the sequel Falling Apart At The Core!**

 **Confession. I initially wrote this on October 19th. I couldn't resist so I wrote it early. Of course, I've revisited several times since then. Also, I apologize for this long note. I like talking.**

 **1.** **I do not mean to make God come off as a complete dick but I have always seen him as a narcissist. (His way or the highway, or, in this case, a Cage.) I'm not saying Lucifer (in my story) did the right thing but God gave him an impossible ultimatum and like any angry child, Lucifer lashed out. He rebelled because he wanted his Soul, no matter the consequences. (God did tell them to love their Souls more than anything.)**

 **2.** **Another thing, I'm not a religious person. I went off the most basic religious stuff I know, which isn't much. I'm pretty sure in actual biblical stuffs Luci made a few more appearances but I'm not positive. I also played off the idea that after creating Adam and Eve God added more humans to the planet. Enough rambling on that though. Religious connotations aren't my strongpoint. End of story.**

 **3.** **If you don't like sympathetic Lucifer, well…Sorry but I did it. Luci wasn't our bad guy. Well our main bad guy. He was a cuddlebug whose Soul was literally just destroyed. (Sam, you better run like hell.) Okay maybe not a cuddlebug but not exactly the antagonist. (At least up until this point. Who knows what he'll do now that Lilith's dead?)**

 **3.** **Another detail, Jibril is actually another name used for Gabriel (from what I read online, everything on the internet is true, y'know?) in Bible stuff and dammit I wanted Gabriel to create the platypus. Since Gabriel isn't an angel in our world Jibril took the place of Gabriel in lore and he made our platypus and there's nothing you can say to stop me. Also was the messenger of course. Exactly why I did that. Yep. Forget everything I said about the platypus. (Okay I'm full of it but sh.)**

 **4.** **Enough rambling. Questions about anything? Message me or comment and I'll answer to the best of my ability without spoiling.**


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